Prince William picks up a game controller to play a few video games during his visit at the BAFTA headquarters on Thursday (January 27) in London, England.
10.01.2022 - 17:51 / deadline.com
Take-Two Interactive, publisher of video games including Grand Theft Auto is acquiring Farmville maker Zynga for $12.7 billion, creating a bulked-up gaming giant.
Under the deal, Take-Two will acquire all of outstanding shares of Zynga in a cash-and-stock transaction representing a 64% premium on Zynga’s stock price as of last Friday. Zynga shares, which have been in a slump over the past year, rocketed almost 50% before the opening bell.
Take-Two is led by Strauss Zelnick, a veteran media and tech executive who became Zynga’s chairman and CEO and the firm’s largest shareholder in a 2007 takeover. The well-connected exec took a turn in the traditional spotlight in 2018, serving as chairman of CBS Corp. and helping steer the media company through its Les Moonves travails en route to its reunion with Viacom.
The merger creates a video game outfit with a vast portfolio of titles. Take-Two’s various labels make Red Dead Redemption, Midnight Club, NBA 2K, BioShock, Borderlands, Civilization, Mafia and Kerbal Space Program. Zynga’s games initially found purchase on social networks, mainly Facebook, before going on to become popular on mobile devices. The lineup includes CSR Racing, Empires & Puzzles, FarmVille, Golf Rival, Hair Challenge, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells and Words With Friends.
The deal “significantly diversifies our business and establishes our leadership position in mobile, the fastest growing segment of the interactive entertainment industry,” Zelnick said in a press release. “This strategic combination brings together our best-in-class console and PC franchises, with a market-leading, diversified mobile publishing platform that has a rich history of innovation and creativity. Zynga also has a highly talented and
Prince William picks up a game controller to play a few video games during his visit at the BAFTA headquarters on Thursday (January 27) in London, England.
EXCLUSIVE: Tim McInnerny (Notting Hill, Blackadder) has signed on to star alongside Murray McArthur (Wonka, The Northman), Cameron Ashplant (Gentleman Jack), Tilly Keeper (EastEnders), Jenet Le Lacheur (Cinderella) and Brian Webster in the thriller Marooned Awakening, which is in production on the island of Guernsey.
Parents of youngsters often find themselves struggling with how much time they allow their children to spend in front of screens, and Prince William is not immune.
Facing the consequences. Real Housewives of Salt Lake City‘s Jennie Nguyen has been dropped from the series after her past racially insensitive social media posts resurfaced.
Bravo has fired‘s Jennie Nguyen over multiple insensitive social media posts she shared in 2020, many of which mocked the Black Lives Matter movement.
Kate Aurthur editorAfter the firestorm earlier this month caused by caused by racist (and deleted) Facebook posts by “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” cast member Jennie Nguyen, Bravo announced Tuesday that Nguyen has been fired from the show. It had recently begun filming its third season in Utah with Nguyen, Heather Gay, Whitney Rose, Jen Shah, Meredith Marks and Lisa Barlow returning.
Naman Ramachandran “Picabo,” co-directed by Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn and Hollywood producing legend Frank Marshall (the Jason Bourne, Jurassic World and Indiana Jones franchises), is among the programming revealed by the Olympics Channel ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, which commences Feb. 4.The programming includes stories of winter athletes past and present.
Meredith Marks is finally elaborating on her “vile” tweet — in response to castmate Jennie Nguyen’s resurfaced racially insensitive social media posts. On Sunday, the 49-year-old took to Twitter to post a statement.“Since it was not perfectly clear in my previous tweet, and I can now speak out in more depth. I am sickened by my co-worker's racist and prejudicial posts that recently surfaced,” Marks wrote.
Megan Fox and her fiancée Machine Gun Kelly have been enjoying a romantic getaway after recently announcing their engagement. Rapper Machine Gun Kelly, 31, recently got down on knee and presented Megan, 35, with a gorgeous ring containing both an emerald and a diamond, estimated to be worth around £200,000. The loved-up pair announced the happy news on Instagram, with Megan sharing footage of the romantic moment her beau popped the question.
Mary Cosby is opening up.
Amber Dowling It was a big week for HBO/HBO Max, which led overall fan engagement on Twitter for Variety’s Trending TV chart for the week of Jan. 10 – 16.
[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]