Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has said that Electronic Arts has an “economic incentive” to delay the release of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV, should it succeed in acquiring publisher Take-Two Interactive.
Speaking in GTTV’s Bonus Round, Pachter commented, “I think it’ll be done and will be street ready but I think that if EA takes over Take-Two they have an economic incentive to delay it.”
“If the Housers think that there’s 2 percent more improvement they can make with an extra few months, why not?”
“Take-Two financially has to get that game out… They’re going to be pretty much tapped out on their credit line and their cash position, so they need the money. They need to get it out.”
Pachter also noted that Take-Two is contract bound by Microsoft to release the title on time.
All efforts by EA to acquire the publisher have been unsuccessful.
Grand Theft Auto IV is currently scheduled for release for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on April 29.