Report: Take-Two will either sell or shut down Private Division

The closures of Kerbal Space Program 2 developer Intercept Games and OlliOlli World maker Roll7 are imminent, according to a report from IGN. The publication also states that Take-Two intends to either sell or shut down indie publishing label Private Division, which houses those studios.

Multiple anonymous sources have told IGN that Intercept will shut down on June 28, 2024. Those same sources claim Roll7 is also closing, although it's unclear when exactly the UK studio will be officially laid to rest.

Earlier this year it was reported that parent company Take-Two Interactive was making layoffs at both studios with a view to potential closures. A WARN notice filed in Washington revealed Take-Two intended to lay off 70 workers in Seattle–where Intercept is located–as part of a "closure." Bloomberg later reported that Intercept was indeed being shuttered.

Take-Two has repeatedly refused to confirm those reports. When approached for comment on the Intercept layoffs by Game Developer on May 1, the company explained Private Division would continue supporting Kerbal Space Program 2, but said it had "nothing further to note" when pressed on the status of Intercept Games.

More recently, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told IGN the conglomerate "didn't shutter those studios," which would have technically been true even if it was in the process of closing both. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier challenged Zelnick and shared an email he claimed had been sent to Roll7 workers that showed Take-Two "proposing to shut down" the studio.

In its latest report, IGN adds that Take-Two is keen to offload Private Division. In April, employees were allegedly told that Take-Two will no longer support the publishing label, resulting in the termination of some deals with third-parties including Bloober Team and One More Level.

It's claimed Take-Two is hoping to sell Private Division or individual IPs, but the company is reportedly prepared to shut down the business if it can't find a buyer. In the meantime, a small team has been tasked with supporting previously announced titles including No Rest for the Wicked, Tales of the Shire, and an untitled Game Freak project.

Those who spoke with IGN lambasted Take-Two leadership for mismanaging Private Division, and claimed the publisher was often pressured to release titles that needed more time in the oven and told to chase unrealistic sales targets.

Take-Two declined to comment on the report when approached by IGN.