WCW® and WWE® legend, film and television personality and former NFL defensive tackle featured as two playable characters in upcoming edition of flagship WWE video game franchise

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 31, 2016-- 2K today announced that legendary WCW® and WWE® star Bill Goldberg will make his virtual return in WWE® 2K17, the forthcoming release in the flagship WWE video game franchise. Best known for his unprecedented 173-0 singles competition win streak in WCW from 1997 to 1998, Goldberg will appear in WWE 2K17 through two playable characters representing his WCW and WWE personas. The playable characters, along with two playable arenas – WCW Monday Nitro and Halloween Havoc – will be available as bonus content for those who pre-order the game at participating retailers for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, as well as Xbox One and Xbox 360. WWE 2K17 is currently scheduled for worldwide release in October 2016.

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2K today announced that legendary WCW® and WWE® star Bill Goldberg will make his virtual return in WWE® 2K17, the forthcoming release in the flagship WWE video game franchise. (Photo: Business Wire)

“After 12 years away from the business, I’m incredibly honored to work with WWE and 2K while following in the footsteps of such greats as Ultimate Warrior, Sting and Arnold Schwarzenegger,” said Goldberg. “My son was a big part of this coming together, and I can’t wait for him to see his dad kicking ass in a WWE ring through the magic of video games. I encountered the likes of The Rock, Triple H, Brock Lesnar and Ric Flair during my WWE career, and now through WWE 2K17, I’ll be taking on the biggest and baddest Superstars of today – showing them once and for all that I am still ‘Da Man!’”

During his WCW and WWE career, Goldberg held several notable championships, including the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, WWE World Heavyweight Championship, WCW United States Heavyweight Championship and WCW World Tag Team Championship alongside WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart. In 1998, as a result of his in-ring success and growing popularity, WCW began counting Goldberg’s consecutive wins on television. In addition, his popular catchphrase, “Who’s Next?” quickly caught on with fans and in part defined his career.

Following his WWE retirement in 2004, Goldberg appeared in a number of films, including The Longest Yard and Universal Soldier: The Return. He also remained a national television fixture, joining the ninth season cast of the popular NBC reality series, The Celebrity Apprentice, and serving as host of Garage Mahal for two seasons on DIY Network. In addition to his film and television endeavors, Goldberg served as a color commentator for several mixed martial arts promotions and developed his own podcast, Who’s Next with Goldberg, via PodcastOne. Goldberg was inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.

“Goldberg’s return to WWE action through two WWE 2K17 playable characters, along with the WCW Monday Nitro and Halloween Havoc arenas, collectively delivers a unique opportunity to experience one of WWE’s true living legends,” said Chris Snyder, Vice President of Marketing at 2K. “Fans can now relive many of their favorite Goldberg moments, as well as create brand new ones, as they decide ‘Who’s Next?’ in the virtual ring.”

Developed collaboratively by Yuke’s and Visual Concepts, a 2K studio, WWE 2K17 is not yet rated by the ESRB. WWE 2K17 is currently scheduled for worldwide release on the PS4™ and PS3™ systems, Xbox One and Xbox 360 in October 2016. For more information on WWE 2K17 and 2K, visit wwe.2k.com, become a fan on Facebook, follow the game on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #WWE2K17 or subscribe on YouTube.

2K is a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO).

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About WWE

WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming reaches more than 650 million homes worldwide in 25 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is currently available in more than 180 countries. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo.

Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to: WWE Network; major distribution agreements; our need to continue to develop creative and entertaining programs and events; the possibility of a decline in the popularity of our brand of sports entertainment; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent K. McMahon; possible adverse changes in the regulatory atmosphere and related private sector initiatives; the highly competitive, rapidly changing and increasingly fragmented nature of the markets in which we operate and greater financial resources or marketplace presence of many of our competitors; uncertainties associated with international markets; our difficulty or inability to promote and conduct our live events and/or other businesses if we do not comply with applicable regulations; our dependence on our intellectual property rights, our need to protect those rights, and the risks of our infringement of others’ intellectual property rights; the complexity of our rights agreements across distribution mechanisms and geographical areas; potential substantial liability in the event of accidents or injuries occurring during our physically demanding events including, without limitation, claims relating to CTE; large public events as well as travel to and from such events; our feature film business; our expansion into new or complementary businesses and/or strategic investments; our computer systems and online operations; a possible decline in general economic conditions and disruption in financial markets; our accounts receivable; our revolving credit facility; litigation; our potential failure to meet market expectations for our financial performance, which could adversely affect our stock; Vincent K. McMahon exercises control over our affairs, and his interests may conflict with the holders of our Class A common stock; a substantial number of shares are eligible for sale by the McMahons and the sale, or the perception of possible sales, of those shares could lower our stock price; and the relatively small public “float” of our Class A common stock. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends (including under our revolving credit facility), general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant. Forward-looking statements made by the Company speak only as of the date made and are subject to change without any obligation on the part of the Company to update or revise them. Undue reliance should not be placed on these statements. For more information about risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s business, please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of the Company’s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, our annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

About Take-Two Interactive Software

Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. The Company develops and publishes products through its two wholly-owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K. Our products are designed for console systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at www.take2games.com.

About 2K

Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family entertainment. The 2K label has some of the most talented development studios in the world today, including Firaxis Games, Visual Concepts, Hangar 13, and Cat Daddy Games. 2K’s stable of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock®, Borderlands™, and XCOM® franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization series, the innovative Evolve™, the popular WWE 2K franchise and NBA 2K, the #1 rated and #1 selling basketball franchise*. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO). For more information, please visit www.2k.com.

*According to 2008 - 2016 Metacritic.com and The NPD Group estimates of U.S. retail video game sales through April 2016.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The statements contained herein which are not historical facts are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws and may be identified by words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "projects," "seeks," "will," or words of similar meaning and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the outlook for the Company's future business and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to them, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may vary materially from these forward-looking statements based on a variety of risks and uncertainties including: our dependence on key management and product development personnel, our dependence on our Grand Theft Auto products and our ability to develop other hit titles, the timely release and significant market acceptance of our games, the ability to maintain acceptable pricing levels on our games, and risks associated with international operations. Other important factors and information are contained in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, including the risks summarized in the section entitled "Risk Factors," and the Company's other periodic filings with the SEC, which can be accessed at www.take2games.com. All forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements and apply only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160531005275/en/

Source: Take-Two Interactive

2K Jaime Jensen, 415-507-7910 jaime.jensen@2k.com or Access Emanate Communications for 2K Erik Robertson, 415-844-6266 erobertson@access-emanate.com or Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Alan Lewis (Corporate Press), 646-536-2983 alan.lewis@take2games.com or WWE Matthew Altman, 203-352-1177 matthew.altman@wwecorp.com