Take-Two makes biggest ever games acquisition with $12.7B purchase of Zynga

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Take-Two's making waves in mobile game development

Star Wars: Hunters
(Image credit: Zynga)

Take-Two has purchased Zynga for $12.7 billion USD, making it the largest gaming acquisition ever.

Earlier today on January 10, Take-Two announced the acquisition of developer Zynga for the staggering sum via a BusinessWire press release. As the press release makes sure to point out, this acquisition officially makes Take-Two one of the biggest mobile games publishers on the planet, as Zynga itself has a significant portfolio of mobile-based games.

As a games media analyst pointed out shortly after the announcement via the tweet below, this is officially the biggest games industry acquisition ever. Take-Two's reported purchase of Zynga for the grand total of $12.7 billion USD puts it far ahead of the original record-holder of $10.2 billion USD, when Chinese gaming conglomerate Tencent purchased developer Supercell.

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Another interesting point of note is that this new acquisition absolutely dwarfs Microsoft's 2021 acquisition of Bethesda parent company Zenimax. At the time, the move was seen as a major shake-up of the gaming industry at large, and it still is, as Xbox added the likes of Bethesda Game Studios, Tango Gameworks, and more to its already-stacked roster.

That Take-Two's acquisition of mobile developer Zynga for over double the amount paid by Microsoft for Zenimax shows how highly Take-Two regards the mobile games market. In the immediate future of Zynga is Star Wars Hunters, a "competitive arena combat game" featuring entirely original characters (as well as two Jawas in a trench coat), which launches next year in 2022 across mobile platforms.

For the record, you'll probably best know Zynga as the developer of Farmville, the game people's parents posted about endlessly on FaceBook back in the day, as well as Harry Potter Puzzles and Spells, Game of Thrones Slot Casino, Words With Friends, and many more. Zynga has some pretty prolific licenses under its belt, then.

Head over to our complete best iPhone games guide if you're after something new to play on your phone.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

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