Contrary to what the many fans who shook their heads in disbelief believed when the news of the two publisher's pending merger hit the press, the deal apparently wasn't spurred by Vivendi and Activision. In fact, Paul Sams of Blizzard Entertainment revealed that the merger was pretty much their decision as well - or at least, they chose the company they wished to merge with. Get the full story at...well, the full story!

In the video game industry, it's important not to rest on one's laurels. Activision probably knows this. In spite of the fact that its Q4 and fiscal year 2008 financial reports have shown encouraging results, the company is already planning its next ventures in the near future. This was evident in the company's recent conference call. More lucrative news follows after the jump.

It was big news when Activision made plans of acquiring Blizzard last year. For this year, CEO Bobby Kotick has announced the plans made by the company for popular game titles such as Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft. Details in the full article.

What will it take to stop the dominating powerhouse known as World of Warcraft? In the recently held Goldman Sachs Technology Investment Symposium 2008, Activision's CEO Bobby Kotick shared some insight on how much a company would have to invest to do so. Head on over to the full article.

A lot of people have split opinions on the effectiveness of in-game advertising. However, Sony's chief executive Howard Stern expressed his doubts on the potential of that particular marketing trend. He wasn't alone in the idea either; other big names from major companies such as NBC Universal and Activision Blizzard voiced similar sentiments.

For more details, check out the full article after the jump!

With the imminent merger of Blizzard and Activision, some people have expressed concern about how the Activision-Blizzard merger may affect Blizzard's longtime customers. Despite having released an Activision-Blizzard merger FAQ, Blizzard has taken the time to answer more questions related to the upcoming merger, this time courtesy of Blizzard president Mike Morhaime.

Find out what Mike Morhaime had to say after the jump!