14 DAY TRIAL // Even as the deadline for the Electronic Arts hostile takeover draws near, Take Two seems to have more important issues to deal with. After plans were announced last year regarding a possible move into the South East Asia markets, Take Two has declared that a new Asia division will become active within the company.
And for a company that some say is mismanaged and lost a whole lot of share value last year, Take Two can still draw some very important talent into its operations. The head of the newly minted Asian division was named in Hubert Larenaudie, a veteran of the videogames industry and, most importantly, a veteran of Asian operations.
He got his start at Vivendi Universal Games as head of the Asia Pacific operation. From that position, he managed to make the World of Warcraft MMO one of the most played games in the region. He then moved to Electronic Arts, where he was president of Asia Online, with the responsibility to oversee games development, the licensing process and even studio acquisitions in South Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan.
Larenaudie declared that: "Many of Take-Two's franchises, such as Grand Theft Auto, Midnight Club, Sid Meier's Civilization, and BioShock are international hits, and already have attracted large and enthusiastic fan bases in markets such as Japan, South Korea and China. With the Company's portfolio of leading brands, growing sports business, extraordinary creative talent and global appeal, I see exciting potential to build a significant Asia Pacific business for Take-Two, with a particular emphasis on the online game segment of the market."
The way the company launches such an important move at this time could be seen as a clear sign that Electronic Arts has failed in its hostile bid to acquire Take Two stock and the company will continue to be independent. But we should wait for an official announcement before we consider the whole Electronic Arts - Take Two saga over.