Take-Two Interactive and Zynga today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Take-Two will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Zynga in a cash and stock transaction valued at $9.86 per Zynga share, based on the market close as of January 7, 2022, with a total enterprise value of approximately $12.7 billion.
Under the terms and subject to the conditions of the agreement, Zynga stockholders will receive $3.50 in cash and $6.36 in shares of Take-Two common stock for each share of Zynga common stock outstanding at the closing of the transaction.
The purchase price represents a premium of 64% to Zynga’s closing share price on January 7, 2022.
This transformative combination unifies two global leaders in the interactive entertainment business and establishes Take-Two as one of the largest and most diversified mobile game publishers in the industry, with $6.1 billion in pro-forma Net Bookings for the trailing twelve-month period ended September 30, 2021.
Both companies have created and expanded iconic franchises, which will combine to form one of the largest and most diverse portfolios of intellectual properties in the sector.
Take-Two’s labels are home to some of the most beloved series in the world, including Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Midnight Club, NBA 2K, BioShock, Borderlands, Civilization, Mafia, and Kerbal Space Program.
Zynga’s portfolio includes renowned titles such as CSR Racing, Empires & Puzzles, FarmVille, Golf Rival, Hair Challenge, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells, High Heels!, Merge Dragons!, Toon Blast, Toy Blast, Words With Friends, and Zynga Poker.
“We are thrilled to announce our transformative transaction with Zynga, which significantly diversifies our business and establishes our leadership position in mobile, the fastest growing segment of the interactive entertainment industry,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two.
He added: “This strategic combination brings together our best-in-class console and PC franchises with a market-leading, diversified mobile publishing platform that has a rich history of innovation and creativity.
“Zynga also has a highly talented and deeply experienced team, and we look forward to welcoming them into the Take-Two family in the coming months. As we combine our complementary businesses and operate at a much larger scale, we believe that we will deliver significant value to both sets of stockholders, including $100 million of annual cost synergies within the first two years post-closing and at least $500 million of annual Net Bookings opportunities over time.”
“Combining Zynga’s expertise in mobile and next-generation platforms with Take-Two’s best-in-class capabilities and intellectual property will enable us to advance further our mission to connect the world through games while achieving significant growth and synergies together,” said Frank Gibeau, CEO of Zynga.
“I am proud of our team’s hard work to deliver a strong finish to 2021 with one of the best performances in Zynga’s history.
He added: “We are incredibly excited to have found a partner in Take-Two that shares our commitment to investing in our players, amplifying our creative culture, and generating more value for stockholders. With this transformative transaction, we begin a new journey that will allow us to create even better games, reach larger audiences, and achieve significant growth as a leader in the next era of gaming.”
Jenna Busch has written and spoken about movies, TV, video games, and comics all over the Internet for over 15 years, co-hosted a series with Stan Lee, appeared on multiple episodes of “Tabletop,” written comic books, and is a contributing author for the 13 books in the “PsychGeeks” series including “Star Wars Psychology.” She founded the site Legion of Leia and hosted the “Legion” podcast.