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Private Division

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Private Division
Company typePrivate
IndustryVideo games
FoundedDecember 14, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-12-14)
Founders
  • Michael Worosz
  • Allen Murray
Headquarters
New York City
,
US
Number of locations
4 offices (2018)
Key people
  • Michael Worosz
  • (head of label)
  • Allen Murray
  • (VP of production)
  • Tom Bass
  • (VP of marketing)
ParentTake-Two Interactive (2017–2024)
Websiteprivatedivision.com

Private Division is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was founded in December 2017 as a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive. Private Division funds and publishes indie games developed by small to mid-sized studios. This includes taking over Kerbal Space Program publishing and releasing titles from Obsidian Entertainment, Panache Digital Games, and V1 Interactive.[1]

In addition to offices within Take-Two's headquarters in New York City, Private Division also has offices in Seattle, Las Vegas and Munich.[2] Private Division was Take-Two Interactive's third publishing label, following Rockstar Games and 2K.[3] Take-Two divested itself from Private Division to an undisclosed buyer in November 2024.

History

[edit]

Take-Two's prior publishing model has been focused on its two internally-owned labels, Rockstar Games which is used for its action-adventure games like Grand Theft Auto, and its 2K label that includes 2K Games and 2K Sports for other games. All such games are developed principally through internal development studios or from large third-party triple-A studios (such as Firaxis Games with Civilization IV or Gearbox Software for the Borderlands series).

Take-Two formed Private Division as a new publishing label to help smaller and independent studios. The label looks to provide funding and publishing for "triple-I" games such as Ninja Theory's Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, those that fell into the middle ground between triple-A games by large studios, and indie games created by relatively new and small indie studios. The formation of Private Division was led by Take-Two's head of corporate development and independent publishing Michael Worosz. Worosz, in evaluating potential games to publish under Take-Two's name, found a number of mid-sized studios founded by developers that had prior triple-A development experience but wanted to create less ambitious games. Worosz learned that these studios struggled with funding, as they did not fit into the types of studios backed by indie game publishers like Devolver Digital, and their projects were too large to be backed through self-funding or crowdfunding.[4] About two and a half years prior to the label's announcement Worosz pitched the idea of Private Division to Take-Two's CEO Strauss Zelnick, who greenlit the creation of the label and they hired Allen Murray in late 2015 to run the production side, begin recruiting developers and build their team and infrastructure.[5] The label aids in the development process and works with the developer to create project timelines and milestones, and will help the publish and distribute the games when completed, but does not seek to own the intellectual property of the developers.[5]

With the label's formation on December 14, 2017, Take-Two announced four games already in the works to be published under the label: The Outer Worlds from Obsidian Entertainment, Darkborn (originally as working title Project Wight) from The Outsiders, Disintegration from V1 Interactive, and Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey from Panache Digital Games. Additionally, Kerbal Space Program, acquired earlier by Take-Two from Squad, was re-published under the Private Division label.[6][5] In the case of Darkborn, some time in 2018, Private Division and The Outsiders decided to go separate ways, with Private Division stating that they continued to support The Outsiders for several months after the termination of the contract.[7]

In February 2020, Take-Two established a yet-named studio within Private Division located at Seattle for development of Kerbal Space Program 2, later named Intercept Games, with several of Star Theory Games staff, including Jeremy Ables and Nate Simpson, joining the new studio.[8][9]

In July 2020, Private Division announced publishing deals with Moon Studios, League of Geeks and Roll7 for yet-unannounced games.[10][11] Later, in November 2021, Private Division acquired Roll7.[12] The game with League of Geeks was cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

In March 2022, Private Division announced publishing deals with four more studios: Die Gute Fabrik, Evening Star, Piccolo Studio and Yellow Brick Games.[14] In August, the company announced a partnership with Wētā Workshop to publish a game in the Middle-Earth franchise. The game was revealed to be Tales of the Shire and is scheduled to release in the second half of 2024.[15][16] In December, Private Division announced a publishing deal with Bloober Team to release a survival horror game.[17] Private Division would later end up cancelling the publishing deal with Bloober Team in May 2024.[18]

In March 2023, an unspecified number of Private Division employees were affected by layoffs as part of parent company Take-Two's effort to save $50 million.[19] In May, Private Division announced a partnership with Pokémon developer Game Freak for an untitled action-adventure game, codenamed Project Bloom.[20] The game is scheduled to release during Take-Two Interactive's 2026 fiscal year.[20] During a Nintendo Direct in June, Penny's Big Breakaway was unveiled and subsequently released on February 21, 2024.[21][22]

In April 2024, Take-Two Interactive stated their intent to cut 5% of the workforce by the end of 2024. GamesIndustry.biz reported that this led to a "vast majority" of Private Division's staff across their offices in Seattle, New York, Las Vegas, and Munich being let go in May, including shuttering Roll7 and Intercept Games.[23][24] IGN would go on to report that Take-Two is planning to shut down Private Division.[25] In November, Take-Two's CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed that the company had sold Private Division to an undisclosed buyer for an undisclosed sum, as to allow Take-Two to focus on AAA and mobile games. The company also affirmed the closure of Roll7 and Intercept Games. Take-Two would continue to support No Rest for the Wicked, while five other titles were transferred to the new buyer.[26]

Subsidiaries

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Former

[edit]
  • Intercept Games in Seattle, Washington, founded in February 2020, closed in 2024.
  • Roll7 in London, England, founded in 2008, acquired in November 2021 and closed in 2024.

Games developed and published

[edit]
Year Title Developer(s) Publisher(s) Notes Platforms
2018 Kerbal Space Program: Enhanced Edition BlitWorks, Squad Private Division PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
2019 Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey Panache Digital Games PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
The Outer Worlds Obsidian Entertainment Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
2020 Disintegration V1 Interactive PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
2021 Hades Supergiant Games Supergiant Games, Private Division, Netflix Physical copy distribution only. PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
2022 OlliOlli World Roll7 Private Division Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Rollerdrome PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S
2023 After Us Piccolo Studio Private Division PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S
Saltsea Chronicles[a] Die Gute Fabrik Funding only. Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows
Kerbal Space Program 2 Star Theory Games, Intercept Games Private Division PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
2024 Penny's Big Breakaway Evening Star Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S
No Rest for the Wicked Moon Studios PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S
2025 Tales of the Shire: A "The Lord of the Rings" Game Wētā Workshop[27] Private Division[27] Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android[28]
Eternal Strands Yellow Brick Games Only originally; now to be self-published.[29] PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S
TBA Untitled action-adventure game (codenamed Project Bloom) Game Freak Private Division TBA

Notes

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  1. ^ Funding only.

References

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  1. ^ "Take-Two's Private Division: 'Triple-I' indie ambitions 'eclipse crowdfunding' | MCV UK". Archived from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  2. ^ Makuch, Eddie (December 14, 2017). "GTA Company Will Publish New Games From Assassin's Creed, Halo, Fallout Developers". GameSpot. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  3. ^ "Take-Two launches high-end indie label Private Division". PCGamer. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  4. ^ Calvin, Alex (April 10, 2019). ""We see ourselves in some ways as risk-takers": Where Private Division fits into Take-Two's games strategy". PC Games Insider. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Bertz, Matt (December 14, 2017). "The Inside Story Of Take-Two's New Publishing Label, Private Division". Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  6. ^ Handrahan, Matthew (December 14, 2017). "With Private Division, Take-Two wants to empower a new breed of indie developer". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  7. ^ Makuch, Eddie (July 15, 2019). "GTA Parent Company's Indie Label Ends Publishing Deal For New Game From Battlefield Dev". GameSpot. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  8. ^ Robinson, Andy (February 20, 2020). "Take-Two forms new studio for KSP2, with original developer's role unclear". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  9. ^ Schreier, Jason (June 3, 2020). "Game Publisher Cancels Contract With Developer, Then Tries to Poach Its Entire Team". Bloomberg News. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Valentine, Rebekah (July 29, 2020). "Private Division signs publishing deals with Moon Studios, League of Geeks, and Roll7". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  11. ^ Bolding, Jonathan (August 4, 2020). "Take-Two's Private Division to publish games from the makers of Ori, Armello, and OlliOlli". PC Gamer. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  12. ^ Makuch, Eddie (November 15, 2021). "GTA Parent Company's Private Division Buys OlliOlli Dev". GameSpot. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  13. ^ Ryan, Jack (December 6, 2023). "League of Geeks games studio lays off half its workforce, 'indefinitely pauses' production on Jumplight Odyssey". ABC.com. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  14. ^ "Private Division pivots vision with smaller additions".
  15. ^ "Private Division to publish Weta Workshop's Lord of the Rings game".
  16. ^ "Welcome Home, Hobbit! Private Division and Wētā Workshop Announce Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game | Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc". www.take2games.com. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  17. ^ "Private Division pivots vision with smaller additions".
  18. ^ Editor-in-chief, James Batchelor (May 31, 2024). "Private Division reportedly drops publishing deal with Bloober Team". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved May 31, 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  19. ^ Chalk, Andy (March 7, 2023). "Take-Two confirms layoffs following 'exponential growth in recent years'". PC Gamer. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Romano, Sal (May 9, 2023). "Private Division announces publishing partnership with Game Freak for action adventure title 'Project Bloom'". Gematsu. Retrieved May 9, 2023. Due out in fiscal year 2026.
  21. ^ Romano, Sal (June 21, 2023). "Kinetic 3D platformer Penny's Big Breakaway announced for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  22. ^ Reynolds, Ollie (February 21, 2024). "Surprise! Penny's Big Breakaway Is Available To Download Right Now". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  23. ^ Batchelor, James (May 2, 2024). "Take-Two reportedly shuts down Roll7 and Intercept Games, Private Division suffers layoffs". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  24. ^ Schreier, Jason (May 1, 2024). "Take-Two Interactive Shuts Down Two Game Studios". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  25. ^ Valentine, Rebekah (May 31, 2024). "Take-Two Is Quietly Killing Private Division". IGN. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  26. ^ Batchelor, James (November 6, 2024). "Zelnick on Private Division sale: "Those projects were smaller, we're in the business of big hits"". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  27. ^ a b "Welcome Home, Hobbit! Private Division and Wētā Workshop Announce Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game". Tales of the Shire's official website. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  28. ^ Justin Sewell (June 10, 2024). "Building a new Shire: Wētā Workshop developers chat about their new "Tales" video game". theonering.net. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  29. ^ McEvoy, Sophie (March 28, 2024). "Yellow Brick Games leaves publisher to self-publish debut title". Gameindustry.biz. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
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