What are Take-Two Interactive working on - A look at their studios
Take-Two Interactive is not the most common name in the industry, however their subsidiaries there are well known, 2K, Rockstar Games and Private Division to name a few.
In last years release there were a number of studios that I said needed to reveal their games and a year later only one of the four has. Two of the studios we are still waiting on are brand new studios, but they have been around for a few years now. Of course, the 2K sports titles will be back for another year and there are a lot of new mobile developers with the purchase of Zynga last year. Finally, there is Rockstar, the group has almost a dozen studios and there is no word on what they are up to, outside of the next Grand Theft Auto.
In any event, let us take a look to see if we can work out what each group is up to.
2K
31st Union
31st Union San Francisco
Series known to them: Nothing yet…
Have been started up in 2019 and then set to reveal their first game back in 2020, we are now into the 3rd year with still not announcement from this studio. The studio was founded by Sledgehammer Games co-founder Michael Condrey, who has directed games like James Bond: Everything or Nothing, Dead Space and a few Call of Duty titles, so it has some talent behind it.
Lately though it seems that is all they have is talent as the studio is still hiring folks, but there is no word on what they are working on. All their social posts are promoting the staff they have, which is very cool to see, but after 3 years and counting, it is time to reveal the game.
31st Union Spain
Series known to them: Nothing yet…
The Spanish arm of 31st Union is located in Valencia and is a sister studio to the San Francisco office. So whatever they are working on here, will be the same game being made there. This studio is also looking to hire staff still, but that is all we know for them.
Cat Daddy Games
Series known to them: NBA mobile series, WWE Supercard, Carnival Games series
2022 was a very quiet year for this mobile focused developer, as they didn’t release any new games, something I thought would be different, given the relaunch of the console WWE series. NBA 2K Mobile did get a lot of content throughout the year, new cards and updates, but it was in the later portion of the year that something interesting was added, multiplayer. Well I say multiplayer, but what I mean are PvP challenges where you can play against other players. Currently its only iPhone to iPhone or Android to Android, but that looks to change this year.
As for 2023, expect more content for both NBA 2K Mobile, as well as WWE Supercard and NBA Supercard, a new mobile release to replace or update MyNBA2K22 is also likely. But unless they have a mobile version of PGA Tour 2K in the works, most everything else will just be updates.
Cloud Chamber
Cloud Chamber Novato
Series known to them: Nothing yet…
Founded back in 2019 in order to create the next Bioshock game, but apart from the original reveal, we have no idea what the status of the studios projects actually is. Given we are now over 3 years since the studio was founded, there is no reason not to expect a reveal this year, a release maybe not, but a reveal for sure.
Cloud Chamber Montréal
Series known to them: Nothing yet…
Sister studio to the California location, the Montréal office is also working on the new Bioshock game. Unlike their American sibling, they are somewhat active in what they are doing, as they are currently looking to fill around a dozen positions. As above though, it has been a while so a reveal should happen this year.
Firaxis Games
Series known to them: Civilzation series, XCOM series
2022 could have easily been a bad year for Firaxis, as Marvel’s Midnight Suns got two delays, but at the end they salvaged things by releasing the game onto half of the announced platforms. The game itself turned out to be an incredible experience, but that was not all the studio had to celebrate. The group released a nice collection of Civilization VI content on Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 via the Anthology Collection, but PC players got even more with the Leader Pass announced. While not developed by them, Civilization: Reign of Power did release on mobile in Korea and select Asian countries in November, giving the brand more time in the sun.
2023 should be a bit of a quiet year, at least theoretically. First up is that the Leader Pass will bring more content for Civilization VI, at least on PC. Marvel’s Midnight Suns should get a release at some point for Switch and last gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles and of course, the DLC for the game starting with Deadpool. The reason why it might not be a quiet year is that it is now 7 years since XCOM 2 released and while Chimera Squad was a good game, it wasn’t the next game players wanted. Civilization VI is also turning 7 years old in 2023, so its possible the studio has a new game in the works there and the extra DLC they keep releasing, is just to test out new functions of features. Whatever else the studio is working on, there is a fair chance it will stick to its strategy roots.
Hangar 13
Hangar 13 Novato
Series known to them: Mafia series
It has now been 3 years since Hangar 13 shipped a game, that one being Mafia: Definitive Edition, which was the remake of the original title. Since then the studio had a game in development known as Volt, which was cancelled and then in May of last year, studio founder Haden Blackman revealed he was leaving the company. His replacement was confirmed soon after, with staff from all four studios being let go once he started. The good news came in August of last year, it was revealed that a new Mafia game was in development at the studio.
Details on the new game are slim, in fact all we have right now is the confirmation from the Hangar 13 General Manager, Roman Hladík.
““I’m happy to confirm we’ve started work on an all-new Mafia project! While it’s a few years away and we can’t share anything more right now, we’re really excited to keep working on this beloved franchise and to entertain our players with new stories.””
There are conflicting reports that the game could be a prequel title to the existing series or a sequel to Mafia 3, we just don’t know. The studio is also rumoured to be working on a new entry in the Top Spin tennis series, a series that hasn’t been seen in 12 years now. But as confirmation of development on the new Mafia is all we have, its all we can look forward too, just don’t expect anything for a while yet.
Hangar 13 Prague
Series known to them: Mafia
A sister studio to the Brno office, they have been assisting with development on Mafia 3 and its DLC, with both it and the Brno location looking for a number of positions, likely staffing up for the new Mafia game.
Hangar 13 Brno
Series known to them: Mafia
Known as 2K Czech for a number of years, they were brought into the Hangar 13 family, which makes sense given that they are now the gatekeeps of the Mafia series and this studio is where it was started. This is also the studio that made the last Top Spin game, Top Spin 4, so if a new entry is coming, they could be working on that.
Hangar 13 Brighton
Series known to them: Mafia: Definitive Edition
Opened in 2018, the studio is the fourth arm of Hangar 13, joining the other 3 in creating the same game. Given a new Mafia game is in the works, they are likely working on that along with the others.
HB Studios
Series known to them: The Golf Club series
Last year saw the studio release PGA Tour 2K23 and after coming out swinging, they released the first season to add in more content and have just announced season 2. Given they have had a 2 year cycle for their last three games, it is highly unlikely that we will get a new game from them this year. It is possible they may venture into other sports for their next game, something that have done in the past, though a Cricket game is unlikely. Most of what we should see from them this year will be connected to PGA Tour 2K23 and that should be it.
Visual Concepts
Series known to them: NBA 2K series, WWE 2K series, NHL 2k series
It might surprise you to know that Visual Concepts, the studio that puts out NBA 2K every year, is not one single studio, but instead is actually 8. The headquarters is based in Novato, which is a running theme on location for the company, they share the same building as Hangar 13 as well. The other studios are located in Austin, Texas; Parksville, Canada; Shanghai, China; Seoul, Korea; Los Angeles, USA, Orange County, USA, Budapest, Hungary and San Jose, USA.
Because of the number of studios, the team are able to put out NBA games yearly and apart from that break to reboot the series, the WWE 2K titles as well. Unless the team aim to break trend this year, expect them to release NBA 2K24 and WWE 2K23 and all the post launch support that comes with it, beyond that it should be business as usual.
2K Vegas, 2K Chengdu, 2K Madrid
Series known to them: Nothing
While 2K class these as studios, they mostly provide QA support for the various titles made elsewhere, so seeing them develop their own game is unlikely.
Ghost Story Games
Ghost Story Games
Series known to them: Bioshock series (technically)
After being founded or reshaped back in 2017, Ghost Story Games has been working on their debut game and while reports said development was going rocky, things seemed to have smoothed out as last year, we got the full reveal of Judas.
Right now details on the game are slim, we know its a first person narrative adventure and will launch on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. There is of course no release date for the game, but it was only just announced. There is a chance we will see more of the game throughout the year, but beyond that, a release is highly unlikely.
Private Division
Private Division
Series known to them: None
A separate listing for the group is needed, because while they don’t actively make games, they do publish a number of titles from other developers. 2022 saw their publishing efforts focused on the titles from Roll7, but 2023 could be a big year.
We know that Kerbal Space Program 2 from Intercept Games is launching into early access, more on that below, but they are also bringing After Us to players for Piccolo Studio. As the year has just begun, we might see more titles announced, though the Middle-earth game that was announced last year is off the table for a release until 2024. With publishing deals announced for Die Gute Fabrik, Evening Star, Yellow Brick Games and Bloober Team, there is a lot to look forward to.
Intercept Games
Series known to them: Kerbal Space Program series
The game was first formally announced in 2019 and then in October 2022, it was announced that it would finally launch into early access in February 2023. This was after countless date shifts, from early 2020 to Q3 2021, then 2022 and now finally this new date.
With the game set to release in a few weeks, expect to start seeing more of it, if you haven’t already, but as an early access title, there should be a lot of updates as the game grows throughout the year.
Roll7
Series known to them: OlliOlli series
2022 was a good year for Roll7, not only did they finally get to release OlliOlli World for all platforms, but they also dropped two big expansions for the game as well. Not content with just releasing one game though, the studio actually announced and released an entirely new game with Rollerdrome.
Last year I said that with OlliOlli World launching, the odds of there being anything else from the studio is unlikely and you know what, I was totally wrong. Given the size of the studio another full game in 2023 is unlikely, however DLC or updates for either of the two titles release last year is possible. But hey, I was wrong last year and I could be wrong again this year, we just have to wait and see.
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Dundee
Series known to them: Crackdown series
The studio now know as Rockstar Dundee, based on their location, not their love of Australian movies, was founded back in 2008 as Ruffian Games and developed Crackdown 2, then going on to support Crackdown 3’s development. Between then the studio supported development of some Kinect titles, as well as porting some Halo games into The Master Chief Collection.
Since being obtained by Rockstar, the studio has remained quiet, but there is a fair chance that they are just working on supporting Rockstar North.
Rockstar India
Series known to them: Red Dead Redemption 2
While a studio not known in the larger gaming development world, Rockstar India is one of the largest groups of developers that Take-Two has, with over 800 folks working there. The studio supported the development of Red Dead Redemption 2, but since that game has released, they have been quiet on what they are working on, but as with all of the studios, support of Rockstar North is likely.
Rockstar Leeds
Series known to them: Grand Theft Auto Stories series
While a Rockstar studio now, the studio was first created as Mobius Entertainment and created some big games for the Game Boy Advance, including Max Payne. Since they were bought out and then into the Rockstar fold, the studio did the lead development on the Stories series of GTA games, as well as porting a bunch of other Rockstar games to various platforms, like Table Tennis to the Wii.
Their last game they worked on was Red Dead Redemption 2, much like India above, assisting with various aspects of development, their last original title though was Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and while more of that style of game would be great, there are no reports of anything else happening from the studio, but as with all of the studios, support of Rockstar North is likely.
Rockstar Lincoln
Series known to them: Grand Theft Auto for Game Boy Colour, Austin Powers series
While developers in their own right back in the day, since they became apart of Rockstar, the studio has been known more for its QA support, most recently for Red Dead Redemption 2. With the groups focus on the next GTA title, they are likely testing for that.
Rockstar London
Series known to them: Manhunt 2, Max Payne 3
When Max Payne 3 was released, Rockstar London were given their moment in the sun, but as is the theme for this section, since then, they have become a supporting development studio for Rockstar as a whole, helping with work on Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2. There is no reports on the studio creating anything on their own at this stage, but as with all of the studios, support of Rockstar North is likely.
Rockstar New England
Series known to them: Bully: Scholarship Edition, Star Trek: Armada series
Before they were a Rockstar studio, they were know as Mad Doc Software and created games in the Star Trek universe, along with development work on the last Turok game, which was done by Disney. But it was their porting/remastering of Bully that gave them attention and, yep you guessed it, since then, they have been supporting development of other Rockstar titles, including Red Dead Redemption 2. It is quite likely though that the studio is supporting development of Rockstar North
Rockstar North
Series known to them: Grand Theft Auto series, Lemmings series, Space Station Silicon Valley
While we know the studio is hard at work on the next chapter of the Grand Theft Auto series, leaks not withstanding, the studio has been quietly, or not so depending on who you ask, working away on GTA Online and Red Dead Online. While the former gets the lions share of attention and updates, the latter still gets updates, just not as big.
Last year saw the announcement that Red Dead Online would no longer get any major updates, like the 2021 release Blood Money and instead would get smaller missions and updates. March of 2022 saw GTA Online release as its own game on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S and then saw two expansions release later in the year.
While the studio is developing content for both games, their focus is going to be on Grand Theft Auto 6, or whatever the game gets called. The game was confirmed to be coming in February of 2022 but since then, there has been no official word on the game. This year will mark 10 year since the first release of the last title in the series, so it is possible we will see something from it.
Rockstar San Diego
Series known to them: Table Tennis, Red Dead series
Much like other studios in the list, San Diego has created a lot of games for other platforms, before Take-Two added them to the family, Midtown Madness being one of their big ones. They were so successful with that series that Rockstar partnered with them, and we got the Midnight Club series from them, they were responsible for the Smuggler’s Run series of games as well.
The studio was the lead group on Red Dead Redemption 2 and its Online portion, but since then it has been silence. There is a fair chance they are working on the next Grand Theft Auto game, alongside Rockstar North.
Rockstar Toronto
Series known to them: Various Rockstar series
Another studio that hasn’t had a game of their own for many years, and that is sad, because their last original creation was 2005’s The Warriors, based on the movie. Since then, that same theme pops up again, the studio has mostly been used as a development support for other Rockstar titles and that is unlikely to have changed recently.
T2 Mobile Games
Nordeus
Series known to them: Top Eleven Football Manager
A recent buy from Take-Two is bringing this developer into the fold, they were know behind the Top Eleven series, but recently saw the release of their second IP in Heroic - Magic Duel for mobile devices. While that happened back in 2019, there has been no word on what the studio if the studio is working on anything new.
Top Eleven has over 250 million players from around the world and the studio are supporting that title, last year kicked off the series new Unite Cups and perhaps most impressively the game added 3d gameplay for its managers. The studio has already kicked off the year with new content for the game, so expect that to keep on happening.
Playdots
Series known to them: Two Dots
In October of 2022, Take-Two Interactive revealed that they were closing the studio down, no specific reason was given.
Socialpoint
Series known to them: Dragon City
A studio known for creating titles for mobile devices and Facebook, their games are quite varied. We know that development is on going for both Champions Destiny and League of Dragons, along with support for some of their existing games.
For the new games, there are very few details around for them, so a release this year is possible, given mobile games tend not to have big lead ups between their reveal and then release.
Zynga
BossAlien
Series known to them: CSR Racing Series
Best know for their racing games in the CSR series, this UK based team is still supporting the 2016 release of CSR Racing 2. However the studio is hard at work on the next game for them, Star Wars Hunters, which is coming to mobile devices and Switch.
The game was meant to release in 2022, but was delayed again, to give them more time to launch a more polished title, though the game did soft launch last year. For now there is no date, but I would expect it to launch sooner rather than later.
Chartboost
Series known to them: None
Not a game developer, but rather a tech studio, they allow mobile developers to insert video ads into their games.
Echtra Games
Series known to them: Torchlight 3
The developers of Torchlight 3, they were a new studio that started with some of the founders from the original Torchlight developers. Since 2020, the studio has been quiet, with no word on what is coming next, though they are hiring folks.
Gram Games
Series known to them: Merge series
This is the studio that makes those Merge series of mobile games, like Merge Dragons. They have offices in both London and Istanbul and are hiring folks for unspecified titles. Given that they are a mobile developer it is unlikely we will learn what games they are working on, until they release. That being said, expect updates to their existing games like always.
NaturalMotion
Series known to them: Backbreaker series
Part software maker, part game maker, this group does a lot. Their most famous piece of gaming software is the Euphoria engine, that let you force push Stormtroopers around in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. In the game making side of things, they support their studio BossAlien with the games they are working on, which currently is Star Wars Hunters.
Peak Games
Series known to them: Toy Blast, Toon Blast
From match-3 games to bubble shooters, Peak has only made a few games, but all of them are actively supported. Given that support, new titles are unlikely, but even if they have something new in the works, as a mobile developer we might never know.
Rollic
Series known to them: A lot…
Whilst a mobile game developer, their game are of a different style to most other developers in this list, with titles like Marble ASMR or Towing Squad. The studio has released dozens of titles and they are currently looking for new staff to join, for whatever the next game is.
Small Giant Games
Series known to them: Empires and Puzzles
The studio has made a few games, but their most well known is Empires and Puzzles, a match-3 game that blends in RPG elements. The studio has been supporting that title since its release in 2018 and it is unknown if they have any other games in the works.
Starlark
Series known to them: Dragon City
While it is known as a dialect of the Python programming language, in this instance Starlark refers to the chinese developer, who developed Golf Rival. The game is out on both platforms and gets updates pretty consistently, but beyond that we don’t know much about the studio.
So there we go, the line up for Take-Two, at least as far as we can tell. Of course, Rockstar could throw all that out the window, if they announce a new game and not just farm out more content for the online modes of GTA and Red Dead Redemption 2.
But what do you hope the company does, are you looking forward to just more NBA, or maybe you want something all new? Let’s us know in the comments below.
