It's now official AND finalized: Activision and Vivendi have finally completed all the transactions needed to seal the deal and merge into Activision Blizzard, and the union between the two major gaming outfits would open a whole lot of possibilities for the gaming industry. More details in the full article.

Those looking for more details about Double Fine's Jack Black-starring heavy metal action title, Brutal Legend, will have to wait until after E3. Creator Tim Schafer has confirmed that the game will not be appearing during the annual gaming trade show. More in the full article.

Some shareholders were apparently not too pleased when Activision and Vivendi made known their plans to form a merger, and filed an injunction suit in an attempt to stop the development in its tracks. All was for naught, however, when the court denied the request to intervene in the planned merger. More details in the full article.

This month saw the exodus of three companies from the ranks of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). Following the trend started by Activision, Vivendi, and LucasArts, id Software of Doom and Quake fame recently confirmed that it will also be taking its leave from the video gaming group. More details on this on our full article after the jump.

The vice president of Electronic Arts' Jeff Brown said some pretty strong words regarding Activision and Vivendi's decision to leave the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). He also reaffirmed EA's loyalty to the ESA and said that this year's E3 will most likely be successful. To find out more, head on over to the full article.

It seems like the rumor about LucasArts leaving the ESA was actually true. Recent statements released by both the ESA and LucasArts confirmed that the company did indeed take its leave from the video games organization, but mentioned that it will still support the ESA's mission in the industry. To find out more about this, check out our full article after the jump.

With EA's deadline for Take-Two Interactive coming up fast, a lot of people are eagerly waiting for Take-Two's reply to the game publishing giant's takeover bid. Whatever happens, though, it seems like Rockstar Games president and co-founder Sam Houser actually sees a few good things about an alliance with EA.

By this time, you probably already know that Vivendi and Activision have left the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). That being the case, the companies' names aren't on the ESA's official website. Then again, LucasArts isn't on the site either. Could this mean that it has left the ESA as well? More on this in the full article after the jump.

According to Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, Activision had a very good Q4 fiscal year. He has predicted that the company will be showing more than just the expected 12% growth that was indicated in the company's guidance figures. To find out more, be sure to check out the full article.

Activision, Vivendi, NCsoft, and Her Interactive have already dropped from the E3. It seems that another company is going to jump ship from the upcoming event. From the looks of things, id Software might soon follow suit as they are unsure about their plans for E3. Find out more in the full article.