Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (sometimes called Take 2 Interactive or T2) is an American company that owns other video game companies. It was started in New York City in September 1993 by Ryan Brant.
The company owns three major brands that make and sell games: Rockstar Games, Zynga, and 2K. These brands have teams inside the company that create games. Take-Two also started the Private Division label to help independent game developers publish their games. However, Take-Two sold this label to private investors in 2024. The company also created Ghost Story Games, which was once part of 2K under the name Irrational Games. To enter the mobile game market, Take-Two bought companies called Socialpoint, Playdots, and Nordeus. The company also owns 50% of the NBA 2K League, a professional gaming team, through NBA Take-Two Media. Take-Two’s games include popular series such as BioShock, Borderlands, Civilization, Grand Theft Auto, Mafia, NBA 2K, WWE 2K, and Red Dead.
As of April 2025, Take-Two is one of the largest publicly traded game companies in the world, with an estimated value of about US$41 billion.
History
Take-Two Interactive was founded by Ryan Ashley Brant, who was born in 1971 and died in 2019. Ryan was the son of Peter Brant, a media executive and co-owner of Interview. Ryan attended the Hotchkiss School and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in May 1992. He started his career in May 1991 as the chief operating officer of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, a company that published illustrated books. He worked there until August 1993. Ryan wanted to create his own business. He said, "I wanted to get into a business where I could raise capital as a younger guy. In technology, people expect you to be a younger person." He raised $1.5 million in funding from his family and private investors. Take-Two was officially registered under Delaware's laws on September 30, 1993. At 21 years old, Ryan Brant was the company's chief executive officer (CEO). The business was launched with help from John Antinori and Mark Seremet. Seremet sold his share in the company in 1998. Early on, Take-Two had an office in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. By June 1994, the company acquired and absorbed InterOptica, a software publisher owned by Wan Chai and led by Catherine Winchester (later Heald). She became Take-Two's first president. Later that month, Take-Two made a deal with GameTek, allowing the publisher to distribute five of Take-Two's games worldwide.
Starting with Star Crusader in September 1994, Take-Two achieved its first major success with games that used full-motion video and featured well-known live actors. This followed the success of Mechadeus's The Daedalus Encounter, which included Tia Carrere. Take-Two hired Dennis Hopper and others to act in Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller (1994), which sold over 300,000 copies and helped the company make a profit. This was followed by Ripper (1996), which used $625,000 of its $2.5 million budget to hire actors like Christopher Walken, Karen Allen, and Burgess Meredith. The success of these games and earlier titles led to a publishing agreement with Acclaim Entertainment. Take-Two also secured a license with Sony Computer Entertainment to publish games on the PlayStation line of consoles. In February 1995, GameTek acquired a share in Take-Two, linking the studio to its own Alternative Reality Technologies. By July 1995, Take-Two moved its main office to the Silicon Alley area of New York City. The company expanded its Latrobe location and, in September 1996, took over the second floor of its office building, which had been used by the Chestnut Ridge Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Around 1996, the company earned about $10 million. Ryan Brant wanted to grow the company and made its first acquisition, buying Mission Studios and publishing its JetFighter III game in 1996. To raise more money for future purchases, Brant decided to take the company public. The company announced this plan in April 1997, aiming to raise $8.2 million. Take-Two had its initial public offering (IPO) on April 15, 1997, listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange with the ticker symbol TTWO. The stock price opened at $5.50, higher than the expected $5, and rose to $5.75 on its first day. The IPO brought the company about $6.5 million and $4 million from venture fund promissory notes. At this time, Peter Brant was the largest shareholder in Take-Two, owning 25% through Bridgehampton Investors LP, which also had Ryan Brant as a general partner. The extra funds allowed Take-Two to buy GameTek's European operations, its Alternative Reality Technologies studio (later renamed Rockstar Toronto), and the rights to GameTek's Dark Colony, The Quivering, The Reap, Jeopardy!, and Wheel of Fortune games. The company hired Kelly Sumner, a GameTek executive, as part of this purchase. Additionally, Take-Two acquired Inventory Management Systems, Creative Alliance Group, and Alliance Inventory Management, three distribution companies that helped the company reach more retailers.
In the same year, Take-Two became the publisher of Monkey Hero. Its developer, Blam!, had financial problems after its
Company structure
Take-Two's main offices and headquarters are in New York City. The company manages its European operations from Windsor, Berkshire, and its Asian operations from Singapore. As of 2018, Take-Two's main business operates through two publishing labels it owns. One label is Rockstar Games, located in New York City, and it focuses on creating and publishing action-adventure games like Grand Theft Auto. The other label is 2K, based in Novato, California, and includes three divisions: 2K Games, 2K Sports, and 2K Play. The 2K Sports division creates and publishes sports simulation games, such as the NBA 2K series. The 2K Play division develops and publishes family-friendly and children's video games. 2K Games oversees most other games made by Take-Two's studios and selected third-party games.
Take-Two also owns Zynga, a company that creates mobile games. Since 1997–1998, each publishing label operates as an independent business with its own team, resources, and financial plans.
Take-Two no longer owns manufacturing and distribution businesses. Instead, it focuses on digital game sales and partnerships with third-party retailers. Since 2016, about half of the company's income comes from digital sales, including games sold online for computers, consoles, and mobile devices, or through in-game purchases in its games.
In November, Take-Two's CEO, Strauss Zelnick, announced that the company sold Private Division to an unknown buyer for an unknown price to focus on AAA and mobile games. The company also confirmed that Roll7 and Intercept Games would close. Take-Two will continue to support No Rest for the Wicked, while five other games were transferred to the new buyer.
Take-Two shares control of the NBA 2K League, an esports competition based on the NBA 2K series, with the National Basketball Association.
Take-Two has an unknown small ownership in Scopely. Previously, it owned 19.9% of Bungie, which it gave to Microsoft in 2000 in exchange for rights to Bungie's Myth and Oni games and a license to use the Halo engine for two new games. Take-Two also had a 2.3% ownership in Twitch, which it sold to Amazon in 2014 for $22 million.
Litigation
Take-Two has used trademark complaints to stop other companies from registering trademarks that are similar to its own, such as those involving the words "rockstar," "bully," "2K," and the letter "R." The company started a legal dispute with Hazelight Studios to prevent them from registering the name "It Takes Two," because it is similar to Take-Two's name. Hazelight had to cancel its trademark application, which made it harder for them to promote their game.
Take-Two has also tried to stop the release of certain mods for Grand Theft Auto games. Some of these mods used materials from the original games, giving Take-Two a reason to protect its copyrights. However, other mods that Take-Two targeted were created using legal reverse engineering of the game, which made Take-Two's actions controversial. Take-Two has stated that it does not oppose mods for single-player games that are made legally, but it will take action against other types of mods.