CNBC’s Jim Kramer on Monday explained why he was bullish Take-Two Interactivesays it is set to dominate the video game space as its top competitors are private.
“It was an industry with three major players, but now that Activision is gone and EA is private, Take-Two is the only major, publicly released American video game company that is pure play,” Cramer says. “I think this is huge. Not only is it a very sophisticated investor willing to pay a premium to EA, but Take-Two is now worth its true rarity.”
Take-Two is known for many popular video game series: Grand Theft Auto Franchise. The company is preparing for the May 2026 release of Grand Theft Auto VI, the latest iteration of the series that gamers have been anticipating for over a decade. Its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto V, has sold over 200 million copies since its launch in 2013.
Take-Two shares have risen in recent months, with stocks now rising 39.6%.
Last week, the company’s peer Electronic Arts It has announced that Saudi Arabia, Silver Lake and affinity partner public investment funds will acquire them in transactions worth $55 billion. Take-Private deals will be the largest leveraged buyout in Wall Street history. Cramer pointed out that the acquisition of electronic arts will come in two years Microsoft We have acquired Activision Blizzard.
According to Cramer, those who want to invest in traditional video game companies will need to enter the Japanese market or “bet on Take-Two.” He also said that while Microsoft and Sony have a large gaming division, most of their sales come from other businesses.
Cramer also points out several aspects of Take-Two’s business and finds it impressive, including the latest quarter results. The company has broken Wall Street estimates and raised a full year forecast for online bookings. Take-Two said GTA Online’s new player accounts have grown by more than 50% year-on-year, Cramer pointed out. He also said the company has other successful franchises beyond the GTA, including the sports game NBA 2K. The game’s 2025 iteration has already sold over 11.5 million units, the company said, with daily active users rising 30% year-on-year. While most of Take-Two games are played on PlayStation, Xbox and PC, Cramer said the mobile business is growing well.
Cramer continued, even though the release date was delayed, saying “GTA VI” was likely to be successful. If the game was delayed and the stocks were hit, he suggested that investors use the decline as a purchase opportunity.
“If you’re plunging into Take-Two here, you need to be able to withstand the delay to ‘GTA VI’,” he said. “In reality, you should expect delays. Video games don’t come out on a movie-like basis, they come out on a regular schedule.”
Take-Two did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
