Latest news with #Take-Two
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Can 'GTA VI' revive the videogame industry?
The global videogame market's growth rate is expected to improve marginally in 2025 from the previous year, according to a report from research firm Newzoo, seen exclusively by Reuters on Tuesday. Analysts and industry experts had projected a surge in industry growth this year due to the expected blockbuster launch of Take-Two's Grand Theft Auto VI and new consoles. However, the delay of the long-awaited title to next year and price hikes to videogame hardware, arising from tariffs, have made consumer spending uncertain. The global videogame market is projected to grow 3.4 per cent to $188.9 billion in 2025, compared with last year's growth of 3.2 per cent, according to the report. "This forecast reflects concrete changes, hardware cycles, pricing trends, install base growth, and title pipelines," said Michiel Buijsman, principle analyst at Newzoo. Compounded annually, Newzoo expects the market to grow 3.3 per cent till 2027, compared with its earlier forecast of 3.7 per cent As GTA VI is scheduled to launch in 2026, the industry will most likely see the boost from sales next year along with the release of other premium titles such as Capcom's Resident Evil Requiem. The launch of GTA VI on PC is also expected to carry growth through 2027, the report said. Price increases to Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation devices have sparked fears of slower hardware sales as consumers globally grapple with market uncertainty. Xbox also unveiled its own handheld console, the Xbox Ally, earlier this month, developed in partnership with ASUS and set to launch in holidays 2025. However, despite this uncertain trajectory of videogame uptake, earlier this month, as per AFP, the Switch 2 smashed records to become the fastest-selling console ever after gamers snapped up 3.5 million units in its first four days.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
GTA Online player kicked by Rockstar for streaming leaked DLC on jailbroken PS5
Source: Rockstar Games A GTA Online gamer was hit with immediate repercussions after trying to livestream unreleased material from the Money Fronts update, set to roll out shortly, using a jailbroken PS5 console. The player was suddenly ejected from the session by a Rockstar Games admin while in the middle of the livestream, explicitly sending a message that the company is actively enforcing unauthorized access before official releases. Rockstar admin bans leaker for early access to Money Fronts update During a livestream of early content from the new Money Fronts DLC, the player was abruptly greeted with a message of: "You have been kicked from this session by a Rockstar Games administrator." The ban was streamed in real time and soon shared on social media, where users remarked upon the streamer playing with an altered PS5 system to view unreleased content. The Money Fronts DLC, which officially comes out on June 17, had previously been preloaded onto Rockstar's servers ahead of time, a routine measure to decongest launch-day traffic. Yet some modders on jailbroken consoles were able to burrow into these preloaded files and trigger aspects of the update early. Not only did the player in question illicitly access the content but also broadcast it to the public at large, which most likely attracted Rockstar's quick reaction. Rockstar's zero tolerance for leaks and unauthorized access Rockstar Games has had a strict policy against cheaters, modders, and leakers for a long time, particularly when it pertains to unreleased material. The studio has upped the ante in the last few years in its efforts to avoid leaks, especially after high-profile ones related to GTA VI and previous GTA Online patches. The ban is disciplinary but also a warning to others who would seek to take advantage of preloaded content. Take-Two, Rockstar's parent company, has also been similarly aggressive in seeking legal and platform-level enforcement against those who break terms of service or leak proprietary content. This recent incident highlights the publisher's larger initiative to maintain control over how and when its material is revealed. The mid-stream banning of a GTA Online player for leaking the Money Fronts DLC on a jailbroken PS5 is a clear message to the community. Rockstar isn't merely observing, it's acting. With the official release of the update just around the corner, the studio has sent word that early access via unofficial channels will not be allowed. Also Read: Red Dead Redemption star Rob Wiethoff shuts down Rockstar speculation Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Take-Two Stock Is Crushing the Nasdaq in 2025. Is It a Buy?
Investors are bullish on Take-Two's growth prospects, sending the stock up 27% year to date. This leading game maker is preparing to launch several releases over the next few years. At the current valuation, investors are anticipating Take-Two's margins to increase significantly in the coming years. 10 stocks we like better than Take-Two Interactive Software › Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO) stock is up 27% year to date, significantly outperforming the broader market. By comparison, the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) is up just 0.59% at the time of writing. The maker of the uber-popular series Grand Theft Auto (GTA) reported outstanding financial results to cap off fiscal 2025 (ending in March). The momentum is noteworthy as Take-Two prepares to launch a series of new releases in the coming years, including GTA VI, to grow the business. However, it's always important to have an understanding of what you're actually paying for at the current share price. With the stock trading at higher multiples of sales and earnings, can investors buying shares today expect a good return on their investment? Take-Two is hitting a nice stride as management executes against its long-term strategy to grow the business. The company's non-GAAP (adjusted) revenue, or bookings, grew 6% year over year in fiscal 2025, with bookings up 17% in the most recent quarter. Its strategy of focusing on building player relationships from releasing live updates to existing franchises is paying off. Bookings from players spending money on virtual currency and other content while playing games, or "recurrent consumer spending," accounted for 80% of bookings in fiscal 2025. Take-Two just released Sid Meier's Civilization VII for the Nintendo Switch 2 in early June, with several other titles from existing franchises planned over the next year. For fiscal 2026, management is guiding for bookings to increase 6% over fiscal 2025 to approximately $6 billion. The big one -- GTA VI -- is scheduled for release on May 26, 2026. Given the 215 million copies the current version of the game has sold since 2013, Wall Street anticipates blockbuster sales, with current estimates calling for Take-Two's bookings to hit $9 billion in fiscal 2027. Take-Two has delivered strong growth for shareholders over the last 10 years. Its generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) revenue grew at an annualized rate of 18%, which includes the acquisition of mobile game maker Zynga in fiscal 2023, although the company's profits and free cash flow have taken a hit since that acquisition. However, Take-Two has a history of growing its earnings and free cash flow, and that is very much on the table going forward. Take-Two is following a long-term strategy to expand its portfolio of games, grow recurrent consumer spending, and scale the business to spread more revenue over costs and expand margins. During the last earnings call, management stated there is no reason the business can't reach a low to mid-20% operating margin like it achieved during the pandemic. This is what Wall Street analysts are expecting, with projected annual earnings growth at 36% for the next several years. Given the expectation for higher margins and earnings growth, the stock is trading at its highest price-to-sales multiple since its previous peak margins during the pandemic. It's also trading at a high forward price-to-earnings multiple of 87. But sales and earnings multiples don't tell the whole story about a company's intrinsic value. To reverse engineer the expectations implied in the current $235 share price, I plugged in some numbers to a discounted cash flow model. I assumed the company's revenue would grow at double-digit annual rates to reach $18 billion by 2035, with the operating margin reaching 25%. Using a 10% discount rate and a 4% terminal growth rate beyond year 10, Take-Two's intrinsic value is $236. Those are the financial targets Take-Two needs to achieve to justify the current share price. For the stock to be considered a screaming buy right now, you have to make more aggressive growth projections. To justify a fair value of $300, Take-Two would have to either achieve an operating margin in the 30% range or grow its revenue to $25 billion. Take-Two stock rocketed over 1,000% following the previous GTA launch in 2013, but that's because investors significantly underestimated the sales and profits from that release. Investors have wised up to the potential of GTA VI and priced the stock accordingly. The stock is still a buy for someone that can be satisfied with a more modest return. But given the current valuation, I wouldn't buy it if you're expecting significant outperformance relative to the broader market. Before you buy stock in Take-Two Interactive Software, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Take-Two Interactive Software wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $653,702!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $870,207!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 988% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 John Ballard has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Take-Two Interactive Software. The Motley Fool recommends Nintendo. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Take-Two Stock Is Crushing the Nasdaq in 2025. Is It a Buy? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
‘GTA VI' delay weighs on global videogame market growth, data shows
The global videogame market's growth rate is expected to improve marginally in 2025 from the previous year, according to a report from research firm Newzoo, seen exclusively by Reuters on Tuesday. Analysts and industry experts had projected a surge in industry growth this year due to the expected blockbuster launch of Take-Two's 'Grand Theft Auto VI' and new consoles. However, the delay of the long-awaited title to next year and price hikes to videogame hardware, arising from tariffs, have made consumer spending uncertain. The global videogame market is projected to grow 3.4% to $188.9 billion in 2025, compared with last year's growth of 3.2%, according to the report. 'This forecast reflects concrete changes, hardware cycles, pricing trends, install base growth, and title pipelines,' said Michiel Buijsman, principle analyst at Newzoo. Compounded annually, Newzoo expects the market to grow 3.3% till 2027, compared with its earlier forecast of 3.7%. As 'GTA VI' is scheduled to launch in 2026, the industry will most likely see the boost from sales next year along with the release of other premium titles such as Capcom's 'Resident Evil Requiem.' The launch of 'GTA VI' on PC is also expected to carry growth through 2027, the report said. Price increases to Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation devices have sparked fears of slower hardware sales as consumers globally grapple with market uncertainty, even as Nintendo's Switch 2 became the company's fastest-selling console. 'Xbox generally is falling further behind on Xbox One, so there will be more sales to come but we don't expect big numbers… we expect that the lifetime units of PS5 will still slightly trail PS4,' Buijsman said. Xbox also unveiled its own handheld console, the Xbox Ally, earlier this month, developed in partnership with ASUS and set to launch in holidays 2025.
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
'GTA VI' delay weighs on global videogame market growth, data shows
The global videogame market's growth rate is expected to improve marginally in 2025 from the previous year, according to a report from research firm Newzoo, seen exclusively by Reuters on Tuesday. Analysts and industry experts had projected a surge in industry growth this year due to the expected blockbuster launch of Take-Two's "Grand Theft Auto VI" and new consoles. However, the delay of the long-awaited title to next year and price hikes to videogame hardware, arising from tariffs, have made consumer spending uncertain. The global videogame market is projected to grow 3.4% to $188.9 billion in 2025, compared with last year's growth of 3.2%, according to the report. "This forecast reflects concrete changes, hardware cycles, pricing trends, install base growth, and title pipelines," said Michiel Buijsman, principle analyst at Newzoo. Compounded annually, Newzoo expects the market to grow 3.3% till 2027, compared with its earlier forecast of 3.7%. As "GTA VI" is scheduled to launch in 2026, the industry will most likely see the boost from sales next year along with the release of other premium titles such as Capcom's "Resident Evil Requiem." The launch of "GTA VI" on PC is also expected to carry growth through 2027, the report said. Price increases to Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation devices have sparked fears of slower hardware sales as consumers globally grapple with market uncertainty, even as Nintendo's Switch 2 became the company's fastest-selling console. "Xbox generally is falling further behind on Xbox One, so there will be more sales to come but we don't expect big numbers... we expect that the lifetime units of PS5 will still slightly trail PS4," Buijsman said. Xbox also unveiled its own handheld console, the Xbox Ally, earlier this month, developed in partnership with ASUS and set to launch in holidays 2025.
