Activision Inc <ATVI.O> shareholders approved a deal on Tuesday to merge with French telecommunications and media group Vivendi SA's <VIV.PA> games unit, creating a public company called Activision Blizzard.

Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc <ERTS.O> said on Tuesday it complied with a regulator's request for more information on its Take-Two Interactive Software Inc <TTWO.O> bid, moving a step closer to buying its rival.

Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. said Tuesday it is in "substantial compliance" with the Federal Trade Commission's request for information about its proposed buyout of smaller rival Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.

Japanese videogame maker Square Enix said on Tuesday it had launched its first game for Apple’s iPod, broadening its target hardware to the top-selling media player.

If "American Idol" and a modern fairy tale combined to create a video game, you'd get "Boogie SuperStar" -- Electronic Art's latest game for the Nintendo Wii system.

With Paris-based Vivendi SA's buyout of the majority of Activision Inc.'s shares about to close, Electronic Arts Inc., for now the world's largest video game publisher, is poised to get a far more formidable rival.

Among the premarket stories for Monday, June 30, from AP Financial News:

An analyst upgraded Electronic Arts Inc. Monday, citing the video game publisher's strong product lineup.

"Guitar Hero: Aerosmith,"  Activision's latest installment of their video game franchise, launched Friday at Time Square's Hard Rock Cafe release party n New York. It's the fourth game in the best-selling title, but the first based on a specific band.

Video game maker Take-Two Interactive Software said it reached an agreement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on providing information regarding a takeover bid by larger rival Electronic Arts.

Video game publisher Electronic Arts Tuesday again extended its $2 billion takeover offer for smaller rival Take-Two Interactive Software, but Take-Two again rejected the bid as too low.

Acquisition charges pushed video game publisher Electronic Arts to a loss for its fiscal fourth quarter, but the company's strong software sales helped the company's revenue blow past analyst expectations.

But with the surprise box office success of “Iron Man,” many are now questioning whether the company should abandon its franchise model and bring development of video games based on its characters in house.

The video gaming industry is more complicated than it might appear from the outside. Know these things before jumping in.

Electronic Arts said Friday it extended its tender offer for Take-Two Interactive Software by nearly one month at a lower price of $25.74 per share, drawing out a standoff between the two video game publishers.