TakeTwo has sold Private Division

[stephensmat]

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/zelnick-on-private-division-sale-those-projects-were-smaller-were-in-the-business-of-big-hits

The subreddit is daring to be hopeful.

 

Edited November 6 by stephensmat

[GobboKirk]

Wouldn't hold my breath, but a straight out "Canceled" would be better than eternal limbo.

[theJesuit]

I have so many feelings at the moment.  The last 24 hours have been a rollercoaster.

This just adds to that - but competing franchises may not be too bad a thing between a possible KSP2 and a KSA.  KSP2 should have the IP spread wide - surely netflix or amazon could spin up a small tv series right?

[PDCWolf]

Hopefully our new benefactors get to make themselves known and say a couple words soon.

 

 

[stephensmat]

From the article:

Quote

"...the company confirmed another party has acquired not only the Private Division label, but also all of its live and unreleased titles."

Ksp2 was technically an unfinished EA, and hasn't officially been cancelled yet. We all wondered if that was greed on TakeTwos part, but does keeping it 'technically' put it in the 'live and unreleased' category?

Edited November 6 by stephensmat

[Superfluous J]

I assume someone wanted Hades or Outer Worlds and TTI got them to buy the whole label instead.

I'll be happy if that company started work on KSP2 again but I'm not holding my breath.

(I did enough of that last night)

[Kerbart]

The article did say that T2 officially stated that IG was shut down. But I think at that point they had already moved the branding from IG to PD?

[MechBFP]

Meh, the damage was done and likely any relevant talent and experience has since been lost for good. I am more interested in KSA. If they actually resume production on this, it’s going to take a damn near miracle from them to make me care about KSP2 again. 
 

EDIT: Although the above statement is null and void if the company is Rocketwerkz lol. 

Edited November 7 by MechBFP

[K^2]

31 minutes ago, Superfluous J said:

I assume someone wanted Hades or Outer Worlds and TTI got them to buy the whole label instead.

I'm pretty sure Obsidian kept the rights to The Outer Worlds IP and Hades II is listed as published by the Supergiant, so they definitely kept the rights. I'm sure PD had a lot of IP besides KSP, but most of it wasn't all that big.

That said, the fact that the buyer didn't share the news immediately suggests that PD properties will be sold off piece-meal, rather than used to publish games in the near future. So on the KSP front, we'd be waiting to see who picks it up next. If anyone.

On the bright side, Unlike T2, who felt like they need to get back what they spent for KSP IP, whoever bought PD is probably not going to have any particular attachment, and will just try go get the best bid. So it's much more likely that the price will be more reasonable, making it more likely that somebody will pick it up, rather than IP just collecting dust.

[Tony Tony Chopper]

Very happy to read this. Can someone help me digging my hope out? It's buried so deep.

[Lisias]

1 hour ago, Tony Tony Chopper said:

Very happy to read this. Can someone help me digging my hope out? It's buried so deep.

Pachinkos here we go!!!

Serious now:

There're rumors that RocketWerkz had bought KSP,  but RW is... well... Pretty small compared to the price TTWO was asking. So, and assuming this rumor is true, it's almost sure RW partnered with someone else.

Tencent is a known funder for RW, so assuming that leak is true, they are the ones I think bought the whole farm, and sold/leased/whatever KSP's IP to RW.

On the other hand, Embracer would be another serious contender for the buyout. They have the money, the expertise to extract value from "dead" IPs and, perhaps, the will to do that.

However... At this present time, all bets are off. Really. The only concrete information we have is that TTWO is not the current owner of the Franchise anymore.

Edited November 7 by Lisias
Better phrasing.

[Scarecrow71]

So, I came cross the following article when I heard that this happened.  A lot of what is in this link is, I would guess, in the games industry link in the OP.

{A link from Variety Magazine has been snipped for reasons}

Several things in the article struck me.

Quote

The company did not disclose who it sold the studio to and what the sale price was.

While TT hasn't been on the level recently with this community, I have to believe this isn't some large amount of subterfuge.  I'd guess there are still moving pieces to this, which are restricting disclosure.  I hope.

Quote

So as part of that transaction, the buyer purchased substantially all of Private Division’s existing and unreleased titles.

Quite possibly the most important thing Zelnick said.  If KSP is considered to be an existing PD title, and not wholly owned by the now-former parent, this could have serious impact on the franchise.  I don't want to start or board the hype train here, but I am curious as to what this means (and nobody knows what this means yet, so we are all just waiting).

Quote

Importantly, we’re grateful to the contributions that the Private Division team made to Take Two, and we’re confident that they’ll continue to achieve success.

Well, they won't be hamstrung by TT any longer.

All told, I'm very cautious about this news.  I let myself get too riled up over KSP2 only to be disappointed in the end.  But, here's to hope, as small and dim as it is.

Edited November 7 by Gargamel
Link removed

[PDCWolf]

12 hours ago, Lisias said:

Tencent is a known funder for RW

That'd be one way to make sure I do not purchase their games.

12 hours ago, Lisias said:

On the other hand, Embracer would be another serious contender for the buyout

God, that'd be even worse.

 

[NexusHelium]

15 hours ago, GobboKirk said:

Wouldn't hold my breath, but a straight out "Canceled" would be better than eternal limbo.

They also confirmed that Intercept Games and the other studio were closed, so yes it's been effectively confirmed (if you thought it wasn't before)

[PDCWolf]

1 hour ago, NexusHelium said:

They also confirmed that Intercept Games and the other studio were closed, so yes it's been effectively confirmed (if you thought it wasn't before)

If only people had a backbone and had properly come at steam with mass flagging of the product, we might've had automated refunds by now.

Edit to clarify: This isn't aimed at you so much as your post prompted that thought in me. I'm already trying to get a proper refund for this.

Edited November 7 by PDCWolf

[LameLefty]

16 hours ago, PDCWolf said:

Hopefully our new benefactors get to make themselves known and say a couple words soon.

 

 

Things are better in City 17. It’s … safer … here.

[Bej Kerman]

18 hours ago, stephensmat said:

The subreddit is daring to be hopeful.

To be fair, "maybe the new owners will fund KSP 2 development" probably isn't as ridiculous as "I hope Rocketwerkz bought it"...  because a collective of indie developers just has a spare few ten million hiding inside the good sofa cushion, so they can use just one of the IPs owned by PD to avoid coming up with their own identity. I do believe I remember Dean Hall expressing at one point that he doesn't want the protagonists to be death-happy, which would be a lot of baggage to shake off the Kerbal IP after years of in-jokes about Jeb and Bill doing suicidal stunts. And again, KSP isn't the only IP owned by PD, so it's a stupid amount of things to buy from T2 just for the sake of reviving one IP.

[Gargamel]

If it walks like a duck….

Rocketwerkz starts work on a Lego rocket ship style game.   Names it something that is somewhat tropish and childish (IMO), but more importantly is really skirting the line of trademark infringement.    Starts pulling in hardcore KSP devs of various sorts.    Then a mysterious buyer acquires the IP and associated studio.   
 

If it quacks like a duck…..

This really appears to me, with no inside info, that the acquisition has been in the works for a bit, they got the green light before finalizing the deal, and have always intended KSA  to be a placeholder name.  
 

Then it’s ducking KSP3.   

Edited November 7 by Gargamel
Fixed autocorrect typographical

[Spicat]

3 hours ago, Gargamel said:

If it walks like a duck….

Rocketwerkz starts work on a Lego rocket ship style game.   Names it something that is somewhat tropish and childish (IMO), but more importantly is really skirting the line of trademark infringement.    Starts pulling in hardcore KSP devs of various sorts.    Then a mysterious buyer acquires the IP and associated studio.   
 

If it quacks like a duck…..

This really appears to me, with no inside info, that the acquisition has been in the works for a bit, they got the green light before finalizing the deal, and have always intended KSA  to be a placeholder name.  
 

Then it’s ducking KSP3.   

I don't buy it one bit. Why would they have already made several artworks with the cats? To trick us?

And if that's true, why are they acting in the discord of ksa like it's a different game at all?

I don't see how that makes sense, even more when the whole PD is being bought, not just KSP.

[Bej Kerman]

31 minutes ago, Spicat said:

I don't see how that makes sense, even more when the whole PD is being bought, not just KSP.

I agree. I'm not sure that many people realise PD isn't just Squad plus KSP and its ports/sequel, but also...

I'm guessing The Outer Worlds is the biggest one here. I don't think RW could afford it (they can hardly afford to maintain Stationeers), let alone all these other games just for the sake of Kerbal fanservice and avoiding coming up with a new identity. The KSP ripoff title is a working title and it's probably not a hint that RW has been organising a buyout of PD so it can sell another KSP sequel.

Plus, interstellar and colonies are not confirmed. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it would have  to contain these late-game elements for them to sell it as "KSP 3" to new buyers who were disappointed that KSP 2 didn't have these features.

Edited November 7 by Bej Kerman

[stephensmat]

Well. That's the thing about coincidences. Sometimes they happen.

Still, whoever the new owner is, if they have no interest in KSP2, then maybe they'll toss that particular IP to someone who'll do something with it.

[Bej Kerman]

1 hour ago, stephensmat said:

Well. That's the thing about coincidences. Sometimes they happen.

Yes. I mainly find it funny that attitudes have circled round from "KSP 2 will fail, drop the hopium" to "T2 sold PD, Rocketwerkz is making a space game; KSP 3 confirmed!".

[Kerbart]

19 minutes ago, Bej Kerman said:

Yes. I mainly find it funny that attitudes have circled round from "KSP 2 will fail, drop the hopium" to "T2 sold PD, Rocketwerkz is making a space game; KSP 3 confirmed!".

For some. Don't generalize; I think that the attitude especially around here is far more towards "let's see what they come up with." As for what Reddit says... well, it's Reddit...

[Stephensan]

T2 owning PD,IG,KSP2: resurgence = 0 of getting updated

this unknown company getting PD and rights to ksp franchise supposedly we could see for ksp 2: resurgence ≥ 0

 

 

[AVaughan]

Dean seems to be fairly open on the KSA discord, so if it was Rocketwerkz who bought PD, I would expect we will hear something fairly soon. 

Regarding KSA skirting close to trademark infringement, KSA is listed as a working title, so if the trademark owners do object, they can always change the title.  (If the trademark owners fail to object, then I think that failure to protect their trademark weakens their case if they later take it to court).

There is a possibility that the new owners of PD will be willing to sell off some of the individual pieces of IP, so someone else might be able to buy KSP/KSP2.

Edited November 8 by AVaughan
Fix typos