EA Extends Take-Two Tender Offer Expiration Date to May 16, 2008

EA has just announced this morning that they are extending their tender offer to May 16, 2008.  But they are now reducing the price per share to $25.74.  This new lower price takes the additional shares that were issued by Take-Two (which was given stockholder approval last night) into account.

I am not sure what EA is hoping to accomplish with extending the deadline for the offer, and reducing the price they are willing to pay.  Take-Two seems to have the support of their shareholders. The current board of directors was reelected last night, and the “poison pill” provision was approved as well.  When the current deadline runs out on May 16 Take-Two will be riding high on GTA IV sales and will have been giving that much more time to show the selling power of their new IPs (Carnival Games, and BioShock).  From my point of view it is starting to look like Take-Two is going to remain an independent company.

Full EA press release after the break.

Offer Price is $25.74 per Share, Reflecting Additional Shares to be Issued by Take-Two

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–April 18, 2008–Electronic Arts Inc. (“EA”) (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that it has extended its tender offer for all of the currently outstanding shares of common stock (including the associated preferred stock purchase rights) of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (“Take-Two”) (NASDAQ:TTWO) to 11:59 p.m., EDT on May 16, 2008. The tender offer was previously set to expire at 11:59 p.m., EDT, on April 18, 2008. EA also amended its offer to reflect a price of $25.74 per share. The price takes into consideration additional shares to be issued to Zelnick Media following stockholder approval of the amendment to Take-Two’s incentive stock plan at its 2008 annual stockholders meeting on April 17.

Valued at approximately $2 billion in cash, EA’s aggregate consideration for Take-Two shares remains unchanged.

EA continues to believe that the offer price is full and fair, and that a transaction between Take-Two and EA is the most compelling combination financially, strategically and operationally for all parties.

As of 5:00 p.m., EDT, on April 17, 2008, 6,432,787 shares of Take-Two had been tendered in and not withdrawn from the tender offer.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This press release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell securities of Take-Two. The offer to purchase or solicitation of offers to sell is being made pursuant to a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO (including the Offer to Purchase, Letter of Transmittal and other related offer documents) filed by EA and EA08 Acquisition Corp. with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on March 13, 2008. Before making any decision with respect to the offer, Take-Two stockholders are advised to read these documents, as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time, and any other documents relating to the tender offer that are filed with the SEC carefully and in their entirety because they contain important information, including the terms and conditions of the offer. These documents may be obtained at no charge by directing a request by mail to Georgeson, Inc., 199 Water Street, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10038, or by calling toll-free at (800) 213-0473, and may also be obtained at no charge at the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA(TM), EA SPORTS BIG(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2007, EA posted revenue of $3.09 billion and had 24 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Forward Looking Statements

Some statements set forth in this communication, including those regarding EA’s offer to acquire Take-Two and the expected impact of the acquisition on EA’s strategic and operational plans and financial results, contain forward-looking statements that are subject to change. Statements including words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate” or “expect” and statements in the future tense are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or actual future results to differ materially from the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements. Some of the factors which could cause results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements include the following: the possibility that EA’s offer to acquire Take-Two will not be consummated; the possibility that, even if EA’s offer is consummated, the transaction will not close or that the closing may be delayed; the effect of the announcement of the offer on EA’s and Take-Two’s strategic relationships, operating results and business generally, including the ability to retain key employees; EA’s ability to successfully integrate Take-Two’s operations and employees; general economic conditions; and other factors described in EA’s SEC filings (including EA’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2007 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2007). If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes, the offer may not be consummated, the acquisition may not be consummated, the potential benefits of the acquisition may not be realized, EA’s and/or Take-Two’s operating results and financial performance could suffer, and actual results could differ materially from the expectations described in these forward-looking statements.

All information in this communication is as of the initial date on which this communication was released. EA undertakes no duty to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

EA Press Email

-Justin

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