Oppenheimer analyst Andrew Uerkwitz expects the departure of Dan Houser, VP of Creative at Rockstar Games, to cause near-term volatility in shares of Take-Two Interactive Software. Given Houser's pivotal role at Rockstar and his creative contribution to the Grand Theft Auto franchise, it is easy for investors to jump to conclusions and worry about the future of Rockstar, particularly the successor of GTA V, Uerkwitz tells investors in a research note. The analyst, however, expects no "material damage to future games" from Rockstar Games. He notes that there are plenty of other franchises that went through significant creative personnel changes but emerged stronger commercially, including Diablo 3 and Fallout 4. "Powerful franchises tend to endure," says Uerkwitz, who keeps an Outperform rating on Take-Two with a $145 price target. The stock in morning trading is down 4%, or $5.68, to $121.25.

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