Take Two considering sale of company

In light of some very unhappy shareholders, Take Two has announced it's considering selling off the company. A sort of problem child of game companies, it's been a lightening rod for controversy (thanks, Jack Thompson!), and on top of that (and the current legal wrangling), the investors that hold 46% of Take Two's shares have threatened to oust the current CEO Paul Eibeler and "take over the board."

And who could be buying?

Game publishers UbiSoft and Activision have reportedly explored a possible bid in the past. Elevation Partners, the venture capital group whose members include U2 front man Bono, is a possibility as well. And Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. has also been mentioned regularly as a possible suitor.

"The most important thing is the closure of the legal uncertainties," said Taylor. "With or without this activist shareholder group, if there were no legal cases, we'd be hearing a lot more about [a possible takeover] already."

Of course, none of this is a certainty, and it's possible Take Two may decide to sell off underperforming units (Rockstar not among them).

I'm not a business person & I have to admit my first thought on reading what's been going with Take Two for the past couple of weeks is "yeah yeah, pissed off shareholders, uh huh - christ, is Jack Thompson ever just going to GIVE IT UP." Sadly, I have the feeling the answer is a resounding "NO."

Bono, Murdoch could buy 'Grand Theft Auto' maker [CNN Money]