Wait, Are Sony Buying Take-Two Interactive?!

Last night, tucked away in a report from MarketWatch about the potential impact of Brexit and a rise in Boeing's shares on the stock market, was the small detail that Sony is apparently "in advanced board level discussions to acquire Take-Two Interactive in a mostly cash deal." This was in response to Take-Two's stock climbing around 4%, with this impending deal being hypothesised as a contributing factor.

Obviously, Sony buying one of the biggest third-party publishers in the world - one which controls one of gaming's most profitable studios and IP in Rockstar and their Grand Theft Auto series - would change the industry completely. Not only would it presumably give Playstation exclusive rights to behemoths like GTA and Red Dead Redemption, but other coveted names like Bioshock, Borderlands, and the 2K sports series.

A purchase of this magnitude seems like the stuff of fantasy, and the validity of the rumour has since been brought into question. The original article sourced Joel Kulina, the head of technology and media trading at Wedbush Securities, who has since clarified that he was simply passing on unconfirmed "market chatter". It doesn't rule out the acquisition entirely, but it does cast a shadow of doubt over how or why it originated in the first place.

Still, it hasn't stopped the media and fans wondering how such a huge purchase could impact the industry at large. With a new generation looming and Google imminently about to enter the scene with their seemingly limitless resources, major acquisitions like this aren't entirely out of the question. Sony are on top at the moment, but with competition about to heat up - and Microsoft buying up studios left and right (lest we forget about the $2.5billion they dropped on Mojang, as well) - the company could be shopping around for major assets to buy to support them into the next decade.

Still, while owning Take-Two Interactive and all of their IP would be a win for Sony, would it be a win for the industry at large?