Microsoft is being aggressive and its paying off for them too mainly being that the PS3 isn't the big console that it COULD have been if some of the main titles were still exclusive.

That's why I said "if I had to" - I don't have to, so I won't. :p

It's not really the HD tech that restricts them, but the content, in the sense that there aren't enough "HC" gamers to buy the systems. Has any system that's focused on "HC" crowd alone ever passed 50 million consoles since the SNES? PS3 might have that chance since it doubles as a Blu-Ray player, but nobody will buy a 360 just to download videos, and I'd wager Viva Pinata, Guitar Hero and Rock Band won't carry it very far by themselves.

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That would be the first GTA to do that. I've played every main GTA released except 4 - in all of those they had bare-bones writing, and either no plot, or it consisted of "unlikable bastard x destroys other unlikable bastards". And unless it gets a (cheap) PC port, It'll probably be a long time before I try it anyway, since San Andreas pretty much killed my interest in the series.

A few things to remember.

First, this is analyst speculation.

In my previous article, I threw out Viacom (VIA), as many pundits often cite them as wishing to become a player in the growing video game industry. However, I think that there's a more likely bidder.

I think that Microsoft (MSFT) is a likely bidder for TTWO. Microsoft already makes a video game platform (Xbox and Xbox 360) as well as independently publishes video games.

From the mention of a console that Microsoft abandoned, you can tell the person is just trying to connect the dots. (And we have had discussions before on how analysts just try to guess and make things up).

Second, Microsoft has a mixed history in this area. It has not fully realized the potential from the Rare acquisition and just let Bungie go "independent." So their true desire in this area is unknown.

Third, the entertainment side of things has not been good for the company's bottom line. This acqusition, since it would negatively impact TT's fortunes because it be a first-party developer for 30 percent of the industry (losting up to 70 percent of the console market), would not be a money-maker.

Mike from Morgantown

I hate MS...

I don't want to have to buy unreliable hardware to play the games that I want...... and PC gaming is far to pricey for me.....

Yes but, Sony fans are huge hyprocrites. Most of the criticisms they make of MS were pioneered by Sony in the video game industry. Sony came into this industry buying developers and buying exclusives. Sony fans only have problem with these actions now because Sony is on the short end of the stick this time. I said it before "Sony Selective Memory Syndrome." If MS was as "bad" as Sony they would have waited for Square to finish FFXIII on PS3 and bought a complete exclusive of it. Similar to how Sony bought Tomb Raider 2 exclusivity when the Saturn version of the game was complete.

This entire thing smells. Microsoft has already spent enough money on these things; plus Sony would never let that happen.

In the buissness world you have to be agressive. Sony does.

Please do the math: There will be about one GTA every 3 years. Let's say it sells 10 million (which I highly doubt on a single platform, not a Sony platform on which the series became big and the hype died a bit with 4). That will be around 300 million dollar in revenue, if we take a $30 per game slice for the publisher+developer (which is reasonable). The development of GTA4 costed $100 million. So on GTA your talking about a $200,- million profit. In 3 years. That's not by far enough to warrant a take-over. They won't ever be able to get their money back. Not even close

Sure TT has other franchises, but those are not so important since others make that kind of games too. Midnight Club and the Sports games all have competitors, they won't be an enormous advantage for 360 or the next Xbox.

And again: ENTERTAINMENT IS NOT MICROSOFTS CORE BUSINESS. They have loads of trouble in their software and internet divisions right now. That's their bread and butter, they'll have to fix tht first.

I would rather Microsoft buy them than EA...

Very possible since MS is always on a BUYING MOOD.... If MS, finally, my doubts will be gone, they will give Nintendo and Sony a good fight not only short term but in a very long term.

That's going to cost alot. Take-Two is one of the biggest videogame publishers (next to Nintendo and argueably Square Enix)