Rumour: Viacom circling Take-Two for acquisition?

The latest rumour surrounding Take-Two is that Sumner Redstone's Viacom is interested in acquiring the Grand Theft Auto publisher.

In a Notable Calls report, three reasons are given for the rumour having at least a semblance of credibility.

Firstly, the author notes that Redstone is known to be interested in the videogame market, and that Take Two comes without licensed properties that quickly become baggage when rival media companies are involved.

The author also suggests shareholders are restless waiting for the company to recover, and that holders such as OppenheimerFunds, SAC Capital Management and Tudor Investment may be keen to sell for a good price.

The report also states that following the success of games such as BioShock and Carnival Games, and with a solid release date for Grand Theft Auto 4 on the horizon, the company is finally on a turnaround.

At the time of writing, Take-Two shares had peaked at USD 16.7.

Last year Viacom appointed former Take-Two managing director Arwed-Ralf Grenzbach as VP of videogames, music and special products for the Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products division.

In December 2007, Microsoft and Viacom revealed a partnership to collaborate on a number of games, advertising, digital content distribution and event promotions.