Take-Two Is Shutting Down Playdots

Bloomberg recently reported that Take-Two Interactive will shortly shut down "Two Dots" developer Playdots. The New York-based studio was already informed that the decision would result in the termination of 65 employees.

Take-Two to discontinue Playdots

Take-Two was aware that its actions would have an impact on the other personnel in another studio when it acquired Zynga for $12.7 billion. According to a different source, the choice to shut down Playdots may be related to the acquisition. Furthermore, while Zynga will continue to manage "Two Dots," the impacted employees of the game studio will be forced to apply for other open roles with the same developer. For those not familiar with Playdots, this publisher released  "Dots&Co," "Dots," and "Garden Tails" besides "Two Dots." On another note, the report states that the company will soon announce about what could happen to these games next. Additionally, another source claims that Take-Two first communicated with Playdots two years ago after buying the company for $192 million. On its Q1 2022 earnings report, Take-Two stated that the aforementioned studio was "among the largest contributors" to its net revenue. Hence, why the top game publisher made this choice following the Zynga purchase is still up for debate.

What does Take-Two say?

According to Alan Lewis, a spokesperson for Take-Two Interactive, the choice to shut down the studio was tough to make for the entire company. Lewis continued, "Everyone affected by this decision will have the opportunity to apply for other jobs at Zynga, and those who do not find new roles will be eligible to receive severance." Moreover, he clarified that this choice would be consistent with the company's present business goals. He also said that "Two Dots" will still be active in the interim, but in a different Zynga-run studio. Also, Read- Google Confirms Stadia Is Not Shutting Down

What now

Several sources stated earlier this year that the Zynga acquisition might bring NFTs to Take-Two. Additionally, the New York-based company at the time saw "NFTs for Games" as a benefit. Therefore, this could imply that it is making a significant effort to explore Web3 and blockchain intervention. Also, since mobile games are becoming more and more popular, many developers are adding NFTs to their creations to make them more engaging. Hence, we might eventually see NFT drops in Take-Two's games, like"NBA" and "WWE," as the company considers Web3 software for its upcoming apps. Besides, if the company soon releases NFT-focused IPs, there may be a surge in players willing to invest in the game despite the ongoing recession.