Electronic Arts has announced that it will not buy Take-Two just yet. The company has made an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission that it will wait until the FTC finishes its probe into the takeover proposal. More in the full article.

Japan used to be the one, big remaining sanctuary of arcade gaming from the console onslaught, but that seems to be changing fast as we speak.

Reuters reports that tough times are coming to the industry as the Nintendo Wii leads the charge in the competition for the time and money of kids in the country. The innovative console took away things that one belonged only to special arcade machines, causing concern about the future of the business.

When you're intent on promoting sports video games to an evolving market, which console would you employ to help you out? For EA Sports, it would be the Nintendo Wii. The company is very much aware of the fact that older gamers and female gamers have flocked to the machine, and it's hoping to work with that. More on the EA Sports initiative in the full article after the jump.

A lot of talk has been going around regarding the currently pending Activision-Vivendi deal and EA's US$ 2 billion offer for Take-Two Interactive. While it may seem that mergers and acquisitions are the current trend, THQ's Chief Executive Brian Farrell feels that it isn't a necessity for company growth. To find out more, head on over to the full article.

This Christmas, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime is not only bothered by retailers forcing consumers to buy Nintendo Wii units in bundles, but also has a tough time planning for the console's future because of shortages. More details at the full article.

Electronic Arts' chief executive officer John Riccitiello yesterday spoke at the Reuters Media Summit in New York where he made a few interesting observations and predictions about the current console wars.

These statements include game development for the Wii as compared to that on the Xbox 360 and the PS3, an impending price cut on all the consoles, and the PlayStation 3 hitting Sony's sales target . Read full article for more info on this.

According to the latest report from Reuters, Nintendo Company Ltd. has just surpassed the 10 trillion Yen mark in market value. That means that the total shares of the company is pegged at around US$ 85.08 billion.

The only other companies which have achieved the same are Toyota Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. Furthermore, it was reported that Nintendo's shares have risen more than fivefold in two years primarily due to the soaring-high sales of the shiny white Wii console.

Nintendo's handheld platform, the DS Lite, also contributed significantly to the recent success enjoyed by the Kyoto-based video game company. Upcoming title Wii Fit also helped a lot, Reuters added. After announcing that it will be released in Japan on December 1, Nintendo shares also got a further boost.

Thanks to casual gaming, Ubisoft predicts that the gaming market will expand by 50% within the next 4 years. Casual games have greatly expanded the market by attracting a new audience, letting non-gamers cross over to the gaming side with their pick up and play stratagem.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot explains to Reuters at the Leipzig Games Convention the importance of Casual Gaming to the industry. Not only were the profits from their casual games line helped finance the hardcore games for the next gen consoles, but it's also expected to account for 20% of their revenues for this year, raking in about EUR 825 million (US$ 1.1 billion.)

One other great advantage to casual games is the cost of its development. A casual game costs only EUR 1 to 4 million depending on how many platforms it will be available in. In contrast, a normal Nintendo Wii game will cost EUR 5 to 10 million while an Xbox 360 and a PlayStation 3 game will cost around EUR 10 to 20 million.

In light of this, it looks like Ubisoft has no intention of letting their casual game line die down and has even announced a new game for the Nintendo Wii. Based on the award-winning board game "Cranium," Cranium Kabookii is slated for a release this December.

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. has revealed that it has received a Wells notice from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This according to Reuters.

The Wells notice indicates that charges may be filed against Take-Two by the SEC concerning the stock options debacle that hounded the company in the past. According to Reuters, Take-Two revealed in an SEC filing that the company was informed by SEC staff who planned to get authorization from the Commission to file charges as well as go after a civil monetary penalty.

This is the latest blow against Take-Two. Earlier this month, the company announced that it will be delaying the release of Grand Theft Auto IV (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). The release date for Manhunt 2 (Wii, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2) has also been changed. Take-Two still has one final chance to try and convince the SEC not to file charges.

Thanks to a surge in DS and Wii earnings, Nintendo has pulled ahead of three other Japanese companies to become Japan's fifth-biggest company in terms of market value.

According to Reuters, Nintendo's market value now stands at 8.69 trillion yen (US$72 billion). The Kyoto-based company's stock climbed a total of 11.6 percent after the company's earnings announcement. This put them on top of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, telecoms giant NTT,  and Honda Motor Co. in the list of Japan's biggest companies.

Nintendo has raised its operating profit forecast to 370 billion yen (US$ 3.1 billion) for the year until March 2008. The company has also lifted its annual dividend forecast to 960 yen (US$ 8). Earlier estimates have put it at 700 yen (US$ 5.9).