By Kieron Gillen on January 8th, 2008 at 3:16 pm.
News reaches us that Take Two have been reaching into their bag of many dollars to add another studio to their collection, buying the Czech Republic’s largest developer, Illusion Softworks, creators of Hidden and Dangerous and Mafia. After the undisclosed sum was paid, all 200 of Illusion Softworks employees will be working in the cleverly named “2K Czech”. Now, we wanted to write a serious piece of analysis, comparing the purchase of Irrational while developing future 2K heavyweight Bioshock (and profiting from the closer relationship i.e. Money) to the purchase of Illusion Softworks while developing hypothetical future 2K heavyweight Mafia 2, but we started worrying about what pun to call the article.
I mean, immediately I wanted “Woo-Ha! Got you all in Czech!”, but Jim countered with the elegant “Take Two Moves For Czech Mates”. I’m considering the traditional crime-based “An Offer They Couldn’t Refuse?” before Waker goes into pun-overdrive with a “Take 2 software developers into the shower? Why, when you can buy them all and take only one?” which is too long to fit on the title line, but is quite a devastating array of terrible punnery. Finally, Alec unleashes the tri-pronged offensive of “Mafia: City of Lost Revenue”, “Use Your Illusion II (Make More Money)” and “Illusion Incur Irrational’s Indignity”, and I’m left all confused and no idea what to write. Poor me.
What do you think? Also, about the sale?
08/01/2008 at 15:49 drunkymonkey says:
…I really can’t think of anything to match the Godly standard already set.
But, about the sale: Illusion haven’t released a game since 2005. 3 years ago. Are Mafia 2 and Enemy in Sight (which I have only heard of now) *really* gonna be that top property?
08/01/2008 at 15:54 Kieron Gillen says:
If 2K are willing to throw money down on them, I suspect they may be. Or, at least, have a chance of being.
KG
08/01/2008 at 15:55 dartt says:
The Czech’s In The Post?
08/01/2008 at 16:05 fluffy bunny says:
I didn’t know 2K had so much money to spend? It’s not that long since they had to close Indie Built (Access Software) PopTop, Frog City and Rockstar Vienna (neo)?
They seem a bit like EA, IMO. Buying successful studios and then closing them after a few games.
08/01/2008 at 16:06 drunkymonkey says:
2K Are Boston Out Chezh’s Irrationally.
YES.
08/01/2008 at 16:17 Daniel says:
C’mon… “Take Two Moves For Czech Mates” is clearly the winner.
08/01/2008 at 16:17 Flint says:
Czech It Out.
08/01/2008 at 16:53 The Sombrero Kid says:
I was thinking “Take 2 get’s out the Czech book!”
08/01/2008 at 17:03 The_B says:
“2K abuses the “ten developers or less” Czech- Out”
My pun skills are weak. :(
08/01/2008 at 17:34 elias says:
I agree with Daniel, but I want to play, too. : )
“Take 2 Writes 2K Czech for Illusion Softworks”
08/01/2008 at 18:05 The_B says:
2K: The Czech of it?
At some point, the guys are just going to set up a new website just for creating puns. And like sheep we will all flock there, and try desperately. But fail fantastically.
08/01/2008 at 18:54 terry says:
Czech, please.
08/01/2008 at 19:56 Piratepete says:
2k Czech, Just an Illusion?
08/01/2008 at 20:09 Andrew B says:
Seconding Czech, please.
08/01/2008 at 21:18 richmcc says:
“Czech one (take) two, Czech one two(k).”
08/01/2008 at 21:46 Chris R says:
We have a winner!!!
“Czech one (take) two, Czech one two(k).”
YES
08/01/2008 at 22:06 DigitalSignalX says:
chess puns > Busta Rhymes in *any* possible context.
08/01/2008 at 22:35 DigitalSignalX says:
PS: Mafia 2 FTW. Having Illusion Softworks and some of the same folks from GTA at Rockstar under one large roof can only be a good thing IMHO. Mafia’s ‘borrowed’ gameverse concept gains legitimacy along with the combined experience of the original as everyone makes a second stab at what was a superb game.
PPS: I’d like to see RPS interview Sam and Dan, touching on Mafia 2.
09/01/2008 at 03:32 Jay says:
Rockstar are functionally independent iirc
As for the buy-out – I basically have the same opinion about this as I do for all mergers and acquisitions – as long as 2K are willing to let Illusion to do what they want, with the support it needs, I have no problem with it
09/01/2008 at 11:43 LinK says:
heres my offering…
We are under no Illusion that Take Two have taken yet again, then Czeched out of the building
What a brilliant post by the way Kieron :)
09/01/2008 at 14:00 AbyssUK says:
“Czech Out Take Two’s new Illusion”
Bah the less independents the worse the industry will be..
09/01/2008 at 19:17 matte_k says:
Jim’s chess pun wins,hands down. It rolls off the tongue easiest, and that’s what a tagline needs