<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?xml-stylesheet href="http://feeds.nobosh.com/~d/styles/rss2full.xsl" type="text/xsl" media="screen"?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://feeds.nobosh.com/~d/styles/itemcontent.css" type="text/css" media="screen"?><rss version="2.0">
	<channel>
		
		<title>Stories Tagged: Activision | nobosh.com</title>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/</link>
		<description>Stories Tagged-Activision nobosh</description>
		
		<language>en-us</language>
			<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:25:05 -0600</pubDate>
	
	<atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="self" href="http://feeds.nobosh.com/Stories-Tagged-Activision-nobosh" type="application/rss+xml" /><item>
		<title><![CDATA[Yahoo Icahn Settle Carl Gets 3 Seats Agrees To Shut Up]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Heres the official end of the Yahoo-Icahn proxy war Yahoo will give the corporate raider 3 seats on its board one for himself plus two more and Carl agrees stop fighting. The basicsYahoo will keep 8 or its 9 existing directors ActivisionBlizzard CEO Bobby Kotick will leave.The board gets bumped to 11 total slots. Carl gets one and the board picks two more from a pool that includes his proposed slate plus former AOL CEO Jon Miller. Which means Carl Miller and someone else join the Yahoo board but wont be able to do anything beyond complaining at meetings.Yahoo and Carl explain how all the insults they lobbed back and forth at each other for the past few months and in particular the past few weeks were all nothing really and everythings going to be great now. If youre so inclined you could view this as Jerry and co caving If they were ultra-confident that they were going to win the proxy vote next month they wouldnt have given Carl a thing. On the other hand they can now go back to the business of trying to fixsave Yahoo. That seems like a pretty good trade to us.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:01:51 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/yahoo-icahn-settle-carl-gets-3-seats-agrees-to-shut-up/90060/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/yahoo-icahn-settle-carl-gets-3-seats-agrees-to-shut-up/90060/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Live blog Activision at E3 is Guitar Hero and beyond]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[While none of the major press conferences at E3 this year have had shocking news the pressure is on Activision to match EAs performance.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:25:20 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/live-blog-activision-at-e3-is-guitar-hero-and-beyond/88070/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/live-blog-activision-at-e3-is-guitar-hero-and-beyond/88070/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Activision Blizzard Boosts Profit Forecast]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Kung Fu Panda delivers the goods.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:49:00 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-blizzard-boosts-profit-forecast/87400/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-blizzard-boosts-profit-forecast/87400/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Activision Blizzard to Put EA on Ice]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Newly formed Activision Blizzard will replace Electronics Arts as the industry leader.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:25:01 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-blizzard-to-put-ea-on-ice/87031/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-blizzard-to-put-ea-on-ice/87031/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Activision shares up as merger closes outlook raised]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Activision Inc. closes its merger deal with Vivendi Games and the combined company says it expects to exceed its previously set financial targets for the next year.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:25:05 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-shares-up-as-merger-closes-outlook-raised/85869/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-shares-up-as-merger-closes-outlook-raised/85869/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Online Gaming Company Riot Games Gets $7M]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Online gaming company Riot Games which has been gestating since 2006 says its ready to start a growth spurt It has raised a $7 million Series A round from Benchmark Capital and FirstMark Capital at an undisclosed valuation.Riot will use the money to launch its first game says president Marc Merrill who wouldnt tell us what the game is when it will launch or much else about it -- other than its aimed at serious gamers not the causal set and that it will be a pay as you play model.The company also added two members to its board Mitch Lasky from Benchmark and Rick Heitzmann from FirstMark. Lasky is the former head of worldwide studios at Activision ATVI and the former EVP of Online &amp; Mobile at EA ERTS.See AlsoCasual Gaming Site GameDuell Gets $17.45M]]></description>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:37:38 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/online-gaming-company-riot-games-gets-7m/85719/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/online-gaming-company-riot-games-gets-7m/85719/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Will Activision and Vivendi Try to Steal Take-Two?]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[The $19 billion merger of Activision and Vivendi Games has ignited speculation that the merged company could now set its sights on Take-Two Interactive Software which has been fending off a $2 billion hostile takeover attempt by Electronic Arts.However The Deal says Electronic Arts remains the favorite to come away with Take-Two. The Activision-Vivendi Games ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:25:22 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/will-activision-and-vivendi-try-to-steal-take-two/85591/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/will-activision-and-vivendi-try-to-steal-take-two/85591/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[2 Video Game Deals but Only One Success]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[From our colleagues at BitsIn the video game industry Tuesday one big merger is nearly done while another prospective union hasnt even gotten to the engagement stage.At its shareholder meeting in Los Angeles Activision shareholders approved the video game publishers proposed deal with Vivendi Games. Under the transaction Vivendi is anteing up $1.7 billion plus ...]]></description>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:37:23 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/2-video-game-deals-but-only-one-success/85013/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/2-video-game-deals-but-only-one-success/85013/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Bits One Video Game Union Is Celebrated While Another Struggles to Get to the Altar]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Activision shareholders approved the companys merger with Vivendis Blizzard Entertainment as Electronic Arts started federal antitrust review of its hostile offer for Take Two Interactive.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:25:41 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/bits-one-video-game-union-is-celebrated-while-another-struggles-to-get-to-the-altar/84918/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/bits-one-video-game-union-is-celebrated-while-another-struggles-to-get-to-the-altar/84918/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Brands Beware Baby Boomer Consumer Colossus Gathers More Steam]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[NEW YORK AdAge.com --  The average age of U.S. heads of households is now just shy of 50 years old and that&amp;#039s a startling statistic with serious implications for big brands says Peter Francese in a special Ad Age report. He&amp;#039s the founder of American Demographics magazine and a demographic trends analyst at Ogilvy &amp;amp Mather. In other news in this 3 Minute Ad Age a new Victoria&amp;#039s Secret marketing campaign targets college campuses. And Activision&amp;#039s &amp;quotGuitar Hero&amp;quot franchise is changing the way music is marketed.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:25:12 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/brands-beware-baby-boomer-consumer-colossus-gathers-more-steam/84360/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/brands-beware-baby-boomer-consumer-colossus-gathers-more-steam/84360/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[When Will EA ERTS Walk Away From Take-Two? TTWO Soon]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[What is Electronic Arts thinking? The video game giant says it wants to buy Take-Two Interactive the company behind the Grand Theft Auto francise but it doesnt seem like its in any hurry. Since making its original offer in February the EA ERTS has lowered its bid then continually extended its offer even though Take-Two TTWO management and shareholders have been holding out for more money.Heres a theory thats been making the rounds recently and which makes sense to us EA will be bailing out very soon. Its only sticking around for the time being the argument goes because its waiting for Federal regulators to sign off on a theoretical acquisition. And that approval should be in the works since Take-Two decided last week to cooperate with the FTC and avoid a court date.What happens once EA gets Hart-Scott clearance? In theoryEA makes one last now-or-never offer to TTWO shareholders perhaps for a bit more than its current $25.74.Then it walks away.Then TTWO shares plunge back into the teens where theyd been prior to EAs original bid.Then EA comes back in a few months or later next year and makes a similarly sized offer which desparate TTWO owners agree to right away.This theory is predicated of course on the notion that some other buyer doesnt step in. And Take-Two keeps suggesting that it is in fact talking to other buyers. But unless they can produce said mystery buyers at some point its hard to believe that any of the talks are serious. And who would be a serious buyer for Take-Two?Among the pure-play video game companies only Activision ATVI seems to have enough scale to make a run at a $2 billion-plus deal. And Activision is currently digesting a very big very complicated merger with Vivendis Blizzard unit.What about the big media conglomerates? Arent they desperate to get into games? Sure they are. And we bet a couple of them are definitely tire-kicking right now. But we think theyre unlikely to make a deal. Disney DIS for example makes a lot of sense -- except for the part where Mickey Mouses image is irreparably soiled by association with a video game where you can pay hookers for sex then kill them and get your money back. Time Warner TWX can also afford Take-Two. But it looks most interested in spending cash on cable channels. Etc.Skeptics will argue that EA doesnt have that much leverage here since only a small percent of shareholders have actually tendered their shares so far -- ie no one wants their offer to begin with. The counter-argument Theres no reason to tender shares until EA finds out if gets antitrust clearance on the deal. When that happens this saga should come to a quick resolution one way or another.See AlsoEA Still Trying To Wait Out Take-Two. It May Be WorkinTake-Two Trust Us! Weve Definitely Got Other Buyers Out There TTWOTake-Twos TTWO Electronic Arts ERTS Bill $3.4 M And Counting]]></description>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:25:30 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/when-will-ea-erts-walk-away-from-take-two-ttwo-soon/78745/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/when-will-ea-erts-walk-away-from-take-two-ttwo-soon/78745/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Beatles music to strum a little air guitar?]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Representatives of the Beatles music are reportedly in talks with Activision and MTV Games to license the music for use in the publishers air guitar video games according to the Financial Times.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:25:18 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/beatles-music-to-strum-a-little-air-guitar/78675/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/beatles-music-to-strum-a-little-air-guitar/78675/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Forget Digital Music Beatles On Talks For Video Games]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Beatles representative who havent yet reached a deal to offer the bands music online are now in talks with two video games companies for a Beatles-themed video game in a move that could pave the way for a broader licensing of the Fab Fours catalog reports FT. The reps have been talking to with both Activision NSDQ ATVI and MTV Games the respective makers of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games...the two games have been successful in sales of the digital versions of songs featured on the games.A final deal would be worth several million dollars and could be done in the next few weeks the story says. A deal hinges on getting agreements from Beatles-label EMI and Apple NSDQ AAPL Corps the company established by the band to oversee its business interests.RelatedMore Noise About Expected Beatles-iTunes Deal But Precious Little InfoBeatles Catalog To Finally Go Digital In 08 McCartney Says Still No Specific DateGeorge Harrisons Solo Music Goes Online Next Step BeatlesEMI Adds Ringo Starr To McCartney Downloads DRM-Free Swells SalesCheck out the best business jobs in digital media. Go here for paidContent.org Job Board.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:37:28 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/forget-digital-music-beatles-on-talks-for-video-games/78511/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/forget-digital-music-beatles-on-talks-for-video-games/78511/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Beatles Coming To Video Games Before iTunes? AAPL]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[You still cant download the Beatles catalog legally on the Web. But you may be able to play along with the Fab Fours digitized tracks via a video game says the FT.The paper says the bands reps are talking to Activision ATVI the company behind Guitar Hero franchise and MTV VIAB who launched the similar Rock Band game last year. The report doesnt spell this out but our assumption is that the bands music would be incorporated into one or both of the existing games rather than forming the basis for a new game. A deal would be worth millions and could be reached in a matter of weeks the paper says.Rumors notwithstanding the Beatles are one of the last major holdouts from iTunes AAPL. Why would the band be willing to license their tunes to video games before the worlds most popular digital music store? Two possible answersYou got us. We gather via second-hand sources that the band thats Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr along with John and Georges estate hasnt ever fully come to grips with the Internet and what it does and doesnt mean to both creators and consumers of music. Though as the FT notes Apple Corp the bands business entity has become more interested in licensing deals in the last year or so since new management has taken over.If you do want to license your music digitally doing it via the video games is a cautious first step Because theyre novelty items a la ring tones you can sell each song for more than the going price of an iTunes download most are going for about $1.99. And because theyre downloaded directly into the video game you dont have to worry about cannibalizing future digital sales.We still expect to see a BeatlesiTunes deal... someday. But the Fab Four are going to have offer something pretty special when they do get around to it -- its not as if people cant find it on the Web right now.    See Also Apple Pees On Beatles-iTunes StorySource No Beatles On iTunes Yet]]></description>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:13:30 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/beatles-coming-to-video-games-before-itunes-aapl/78507/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/beatles-coming-to-video-games-before-itunes-aapl/78507/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Activision Plans Guitar Hero Metallica]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[The video game maker says in a 10-K filing with the SEC that it plans to deliver the game in fiscal 2009 which ends next March 31.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:25:01 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-plans-guitar-hero-metallica/70328/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-plans-guitar-hero-metallica/70328/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Ikea F&#xfc;rni Coming For Your Sims No Assembly Required]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Finally our dream delivered An Ikea Ektorp sofa bed for our... virtual living room. EAs ERTS newest add-on to its mega-hit Sims franchise is a $20 add-on full of Swedish furniture the NYT reports.We like this idea In-game product placement is a heck of a lot more interesting -- and potentially more effective advertising for brands -- than other in-game ads. Wed rather set our Sims up with a new Poang chair than see the Sprint S logo clutter up our Madden game.EA also has had similar Sims deals with H&amp;M and Ford F future partners could include consumer electronics companies like Sony SNE or food retailers like Starbucks SBUX.In the meantime Where are the virtual Ikea meatballs?See AlsoActivision Releasing Guitar Hero Rock Band KillerEAs Big Mobile Gaming DayElectronic Arts To Take-Two Shareholders Seriously. You Guys Should Think About Our Offer]]></description>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2008 10:31:28 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/ikea-f-rni-coming-for-your-sims-no-assembly-required/68534/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/ikea-f-rni-coming-for-your-sims-no-assembly-required/68534/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Bobby Kotick Chairman and CEO of Guitar Hero-Maker Activision D6 Highlights]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Since 1991 Bobby Kotick has been running Activision ATVI in which he bought a controlling interest when it was an insolvent video-game company in 1990. The witty Mr. Kotick has since built the company into one of the industrys largest with net revenues of approximately $2.7 billion. More importantly Activision turbocharged itself when it merged this past year with Vivendi Games which includes Blizzard Entertainments World of Warcraft one the most popular multi-player games.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2008 13:49:14 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/bobby-kotick-chairman-and-ceo-of-guitar-hero-maker-activision-d6-highlights/68035/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/bobby-kotick-chairman-and-ceo-of-guitar-hero-maker-activision-d6-highlights/68035/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[@ D Activision CEO On Social Gaming]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Activision NSDQ ATVI CEO Bobby Kotick on social gaming It is bringing new users into the gaming market...you are seeing a lot of traffic on those sites and places like Facebook and MySpace. It is a great way for people to understand the interactive value of games. There is no business model today but over time it will with advertising subscription and other ways. Casual games dont need to be very visual....they deliver a great amount of entertainment and you dont think about how primitive the graphics could be. The digital media worlds most highly targeted recruitment center connects the best professionals with top positions at leading-edge companies.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2008 11:25:29 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/d-activision-ceo-on-social-gaming/67937/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/d-activision-ceo-on-social-gaming/67937/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Guitar Hero rocks D6]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Activision CEO Bobby Kotick talks about the rise of casual gaming and whether we will all need virtual reality helmets any time soon. Coming up a demo of the next Guitar Hero.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2008 10:40:15 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/guitar-hero-rocks-d6/67909/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/guitar-hero-rocks-d6/67909/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[The New Lords of YouTube GOOG]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Who are the new lords of YouTube? We all know about the original Web video royalty -- the Judson Laipplys and lonelygirl15s of the world. But whos generating views -- whatever that means -- now?To answer that question we asked Web analytics startup TubeMogul to give us a list of last weeks top 100 video producers defined as the person or entity posting clips to YouTube.Some of the results were predictable. The YouTube video producer with the most views last week was the NBA with 3.5 million views -- understandable given that the playoffs are in full swing.Also big was Activisions GuitarHeroGames ATVI which shows real life rock stars from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Police  trying out the games fake equipment.Top-10 last week1. NBA - 3.46 million views basketball highlights2. Nogoodtv - 3.44 million uncensored celebrity news3. Illumistream - 1.96 million explicit sex education4. Ykedwin - 1.87 million Chinese variety show5. YTVideoGuide - 1.8 million guide to top YouTube clips6. IdolFans2008 - 1.73 million American Idol performances7. Duowei - 1.59 million daily news show from state Chinese television8. IdolsAroundTheWorld - 1.39 million more American Idol9. GuitarHeroGames - 1.28 million promo for Activisions Guitar Hero10. NielCicierega - 1.13 million Harry Potter puppeteerGo further down the list and things get more interesting at least to us -- were particularly fond of the guys who re-shot the iconic Indiana Jones scene with a Lego boulder. Among the indie producers making it big there are a few commonalities As always stunts and attractive women work on YouTube. But so do smart people with provocative ideas on technology and politics.25. Vlogbrothers - 579252 views last week 33. athenewins - 422950 views 37. Veracifier - 422950 views42. macattck2533 - 394391 viewsSee Also Whats A Web Video View?]]></description>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 May 2008 05:07:26 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/the-new-lords-of-youtube-goog/67169/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/the-new-lords-of-youtube-goog/67169/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Activision Releasing Guitar Hero Rock Band Killer ATVI]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Activision ATVI and Harmonix VIA have a complicated and confusing relationship. One of them makes Guitar Hero Activision and the other makes Rock Band Harmonix two strikingly similar games whose main difference was that Rock Band allowed users to play the faux drums and sing into a microphone. That relationship just got a lot more confusing because Activision announced today that Guitar Hero World Tour would allow users to play the drums and sing into a microphone.But the tangled past of both games doesnt end there Harmonix originally developed Guitar Hero for publisher RedOctane. But in 2006 MTV Networks bought Harmonix and Activision bought RedOctane. Activision got the rights to Guitar Hero and Harmonix developed Rock Band.This further move toward Rock Band is probably a good move on Activisions part - they want to protect Guitar Hero which was one of the bestselling games in the US last year and is consistently in the top 10 bestselling games every month. Guitar Hero dominates the newer Rock Band at retail but wants to be sure it cuts off the rival game at the knees.Just take a look at the drum sets from the new Guitar Hero and from Rock Band.Guitar Hero World Tour from JoystiqRock Band]]></description>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 May 2008 11:43:32 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-releasing-guitar-hero-rock-band-killer-atvi/66091/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-releasing-guitar-hero-rock-band-killer-atvi/66091/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[S&amp;ampP Picks and Pans Activision BMC Software Autodesk Nordstrom Abercrombie]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Analysts opinions on stocks in the news]]></description>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 13:13:05 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/sampp-picks-and-pans-activision-bmc-software-autodesk-nordstrom-abercrombie/63687/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/sampp-picks-and-pans-activision-bmc-software-autodesk-nordstrom-abercrombie/63687/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Tech Winners &amp; Losers Activision]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Strong earnings give the video-game stock a lift.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 13:01:01 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/tech-winners-losers-activision/60560/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/tech-winners-losers-activision/60560/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Activision Takes on a Mega-Merger]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[The company has high hopes for its imminent merger with Vivendi Games.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 12:46:02 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-takes-on-a-mega-merger/60547/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-takes-on-a-mega-merger/60547/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[S&amp;ampP Picks and Pans AIG Citigroup priceline.com Nvidia Circuit City Activision]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Analysts opinions on stocks in the news Friday]]></description>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 12:16:05 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/sampp-picks-and-pans-aig-citigroup-pricelinecom-nvidia-circuit-city-activision/60522/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/sampp-picks-and-pans-aig-citigroup-pricelinecom-nvidia-circuit-city-activision/60522/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Earnings Activision FY08 Revs Up 92 Percent Income Quadruples]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Activision has reported its full year results as well as its results for the first three months of this year. For the 12 months ending March 31st net revenues were $2.90 billion almost double the $1.51 billion earned in the previous year. Net income was $344.9 million $1.10 per diluted share compared to $85.8 million $0.28 per diluted share. Not including the increase due to the merger with Vivendi EPA VIV Activision predicts net revenues of $2.75 billion and earnings per diluted share of $0.72 for the next fiscal year.During the year Activision had two game franchises cross the $1 billion lifetime sales mark Guitar Hero and Call of Duty. Other good figures include Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock being the best-selling game in the US and Europe in dollar terms and Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare was the second best-selling game worldwide in units selling more than 9 millionthe PC version was the best-selling PC title. During the year Activision grew its US marketshare by 7.2 percent to 17.3 percent.First QuarterFor the three months ending March 31st 2008 Activision had net revenues of $602.5 million compared to $312.5 million for the same period a year ago. Net income for the quarter was $44.2 million $0.14 per diluted share compared to a net loss of $14.4 million -$0.05 per diluted share a year ago. Last quarter was the largest and most profitable non-holiday quarter even though we did not release any new titles said Robert Kotick Chairman and CEO of Activision NSDQ ATVI. Thats pretty significant considering that a weak product release schedule normally corresponds to poor sales. Conference CallActivision sees downloadable content as a new distribution platform that lets them extend the lifetime of their products. 15 million individual songs have been downloaded for Guitar Hero and Call of Duty saw more than 1 million related downloads on Xbox Live in the first 9 days. Activision is also planning online functionality in the final quarter of this year and expects to defer a lot of net revenues operating revenues and cost of sales to the following fiscal year. The company is keen on learning from Blizzard which it will join after the merger with Vivendi and thinks that Blizzards brand and experience will help it address online markets as well as the Korean and Chinese markets.Release]]></description>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 16:02:12 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/earnings-activision-fy08-revs-up-92-percent-income-quadruples/60117/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/earnings-activision-fy08-revs-up-92-percent-income-quadruples/60117/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Activision Turns In Huge Q4]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Activision ATVI crushed analyst estimates for both EPS and revenue in the first quarter and posted record revenues for the fiscal year.No surprise here Call of Duty 4 and Guitar Hero III were the third- and fourth-best selling games in North America last year respectively.QuarterRevenue $602.451 93% increase yy more than analyst estimate of $369.12 millionEPS $0.15 400% yy increase more than analyst estimate of $0.05Operating Income $54.533 million 287% increase yyFiscal YearRevenue $2.90 billion 92% increase yy higher than analyst estimate of $2.66 billionEPS $1.10 293% increase yy higher than analyst estimate of $1.08Operating Income $479.614 million 556% increase yyGuidance For the next quarter revenue is expected to be $500 million and EPS will be $0.04F. Excluding the impact of the merger with Vivendi the EPS is expected to be $0.13.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 15:46:27 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-turns-in-huge-q4/60110/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-turns-in-huge-q4/60110/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Activision Rolls Past Estimates]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Two hit games drive a strong quarter.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 14:46:01 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-rolls-past-estimates/60059/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-rolls-past-estimates/60059/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Activision swings to profit on blow-out game sales]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Activision Inc. swings to a profit for its fourth fiscal quarter as video game sales nearly double during the period blowing away Wall Streets estimates.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 14:31:00 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-swings-to-profit-on-blow-out-game-sales/60050/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/activision-swings-to-profit-on-blow-out-game-sales/60050/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[E3 Going Going Gone?]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[E3 the premier video game conference is losing more and more luster. Last week Activision ATVI and Vivendi which are completing a merger announced that they were not attending the July 15-17 conference and dropping out of the Entertainment Software Association altogether. Now id Software the makers of the Doom franchise say that theyre considering not attending. Joystiq reports that  three other publishers are absent from the convention line-up as well.The ESA has 26 members including heavy hitters Nintendo NTDOY Microsoft MSFT Sony SNE Electronic Arts ERTS and Take-Two TTWO. But the loss of Activision and Vivendi which are responsible for Call of Duty Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft among others is a big blow for the association and for the convention.Why all the defections? Last year E3 changed its format so that only the industry and the press could attend -- fans were not allowed inside. And some in the industry say that the new president of the ESA Mike Gallagher does not command the respect of his predecessor.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 May 2008 11:46:25 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/e3-going-going-gone/58783/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/e3-going-going-gone/58783/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[This Week in Silicon Alley May 5-May 9]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Monday May 5IAB Leadership Forum Digital VideoSymphic Technology 5-day Workshop SQL Server Business Intelligence with Data MiningBefore the bell Marvel MVL earnings call 900 a.m.After the bell Divx DIVX earnings call 430 p.m. Virgin Mobile USA VM earnings call 500 p.m. LookSmart LOOK earnings call 500 p.m.New Work City Meetup 2 600 p.m.Tuesday May 6Capacity USA 2008 Telecommunications Conference through WednesdayMobile Convergence Technology SummitIDC Enterprise Data Center ForumBefore the bell Alibaba.com 1688.HK earnings call 800 a.m. MetroPCS PCS earnings call 900 a.m.Web 2.0 Executive Bootcamp New York 845 a.m.-500 p.m.Midday Playboy PLA earnings call 1100 a.m.After the bell Disney DISearnings webcast 430 p.m. Cisco Systems CSCO earnings call 430 p.m. TechTarget TTGT earnings call 430 p.m. WebMD WBMD earnings call 445 p.m. United Online UNTD earnings call 500 p.m. THQ THQI earnings call 500 p.m. Blue Nile NILE earnings call 500 p.m.Eyebeam Freedom and Creativity Benefit honoring Craigslists Craig Newmark 630 p.m.NYC Search Marketing Meetup Small Group Share and Learn 700 p.m.NY GNULinux Meetup Ubuntu for Beginners 700 p.m.Future of Web Design Meetup 700 p.m.Wednesday May 7Enterprise 2.0 BootcampTri-State CIO Forum Leading IT for Top Line GrowthIDC Virtualization Forum2008 Leadership in Media Conference 800 a.m.-600 p.m.Google App Engine Hack-a-Thon 1000 a.m.-600 p.m.Midday Orbitz OWW earnings call 1000 a.m. U.S. Cellular USM earnings call 1100 a.m. DirecTV DTV earnings call 200 p.m.After the bell News Corp NWS earnings call 430 p.m. Internap INAP earnings call 500 p.m. Macrovision MVSN earnings call 500 p.m.Tech Drinks V Diggnation Mashup Edition 530 p.m.New York City SharePoint Using Content Query Web Part to Solve Business Problems 530 p.m.Small Business QuickBooks  Avoid the Top Five QuickBooks Setup  Errors 600 p.m.NYC Tech4Good May Speaker Meeting 700 p.m.Super Tech Diggnation Meetup 700 p.m.Thursday May 8Accelerating Wall Street 2008 Technology in FinanceOracle Performance Management and Training Forum through Friday in Iselin NJNew Media PR Boot Camp Technology and Emerging Trends through Friday Alternative Public Strategies Conference 700 a.m.-730 p.m.Before the bell Warner Music WMG earnings call 830 a.m. Deutsche Telekom DK earnings call 830 a.m. Virgin Media VMED earnings call 900 a.m.Open Coffee Meetup 915 a.m.Midday Vonage VG earnings call 1000 a.m. Cablevision CVC earnings call 1000 a.m. Dun &amp; Bradstreet DNB earnings call 1000 a.m. Primedia PRM earnings call1000 a.m. R.H. Donnelley RHD earnings call 1000 a.m.After the bell Activision ATVI earnings call 430 p.m. The Knot KNOT earnings call 430 p.m. LiveNation LYV earnings call 500 p.m. Leap Wireless LEAP earnings call 500 p.m. Real Networks RNWK earnings call 500 p.m. Limelight Networks LLNW earnings call 500 p.m. VeriSign VRSN earnings call 500 p.m.Media Meshing Drinks Social Networking for Media Professionals 600 p.m.NY IT Professionals May Meeting 630 p.m.Friday May 9Before the bell ClearChannel CCU earnings release 700 a.m.Midday Jupitermedia JPM earnings call 1100 a.m. Liberty Media LINTA earnings call 1100 a.m.Events compiled from Meetup Yahoo!Upcoming Confabb.com and alleyreporter.com]]></description>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 06:01:37 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/this-week-in-silicon-alley-may-5-may-9/57997/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/this-week-in-silicon-alley-may-5-may-9/57997/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[MTVs Rock Band Video Game Preps Full Album Download Sales]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Having proved that it can sell individual song downloads in the millions after only five months in operation MTVNs NYSE VIA Rock Band video game will begin selling full-length albums starting next week with Judas Priest. So far Rock Band has sold more than 8 million downloads of roughly 140 tracks. The 1982 album Screaming For Vengeance featuring the hit Youve Got Another Thing Comin and nine other tracks.&amp;nbsp The album goes on sale April 22 for Microsoft NSDQ MSFT  Xbox on April 22 $1.99 per track or 160 Microsoft Points or $14.99 1200 Microsoft Points and April 24 for Sony NYSE SNE PlayStation 3 store. Players can buy the tracks and packs without leavibng the game via the Rock Band Music Store. Reuters Some other artists getting the complete album treatment over the next two months include 80s new wave act The Cars and alternative band The Pixies who will release their 1989 work Doolittle for download on Rock Band. The eclectic choices are meant to demonstrate and expand on the breadth of Rock Bands appeal among music fans.&amp;nbsp The system typically adds packs of three new songs for download every week. Meanwhile Activisions NSDQ ATVI rival game Guitar Hero which releases songs a little less frequently than Rock Band is prepping a Aerosmith collection for a June release.&amp;nbspRelatedUpdated Guitar Hero In Court Gibson Sues Retailers Activision Responds EA Harmonix Sued10-K Watch Viacom Harmonixs Possible Rock Band Earnout Bounty $208.7 Million In 07MTVNs Rock Band Is A Hit With 2.5 Million Song Downloads]]></description>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:46:20 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/mtvs-rock-band-video-game-preps-full-album-download-sales/50957/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/mtvs-rock-band-video-game-preps-full-album-download-sales/50957/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Guess whos rewriting the rules of gaming?]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[The biggest story in the videogame business this year has been the way Activision and Electronic Arts the industrys two dominant powers are gobbling up smaller competitors that have developed hot-selling games. Activision publisher of the billion-dollar Guitar Hero series is seeking approval to join forces with Vivendi Games maker of the bestselling World of Warcraft. Meanwhile giant EA purveyor of Madden NFL and other sports franchises is making a $2 billion hostile play for Take-Two which owns Grand Theft Auto.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:01:51 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/guess-whos-rewriting-the-rules-of-gaming/50722/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/guess-whos-rewriting-the-rules-of-gaming/50722/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[EU Approves Vivendi and Activision Deal]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[French telecom and media group Vivendi won permission from the European Commission to merge its video game unit with Activision in a $9.85 billion deal.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:16:19 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/eu-approves-vivendi-and-activision-deal/50006/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/eu-approves-vivendi-and-activision-deal/50006/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Vivendi GamesActivision Merger Nodded Through By EC]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[The European Commission has cleared the $18.9 billion merger of Activision NSDQ ATVI and Vivendis EPA VIV games unit on several anti-trust grounds. The EC began a routine investigation in March two months after it was agreed but today concluded the group would still face strong competition from the likes of EA. It also brushed aside concern that Vivendis sister Universal Music Group unit could lead to unfair competition in the licensing of music to games especially music games as competing game publishers would continue to have access to a sufficiently large portfolio of music rights from alternative suppliers. Activision publishes Guitar Hero but its unlikely future versions of such a title would rely solely on UMG artists as rock stars tend to go with other labels too.&amp;nbspRelatedVivendi Games Merging With Activision To Create New Pure-Play Video Game  Valued At $18.9 Billion]]></description>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:46:25 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/vivendi-gamesactivision-merger-nodded-through-by-ec/49684/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/vivendi-gamesactivision-merger-nodded-through-by-ec/49684/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Game Gets Tougher for Activisions Top Game Boy]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[CEO Bobby Kotick bought Guitar Hero and became a star. But will tough competition knock him on his ax? From Portfolio.com.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:31:19 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/game-gets-tougher-for-activisions-top-game-boy/47314/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/game-gets-tougher-for-activisions-top-game-boy/47314/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[THQ We Dont Need Acquisitions Except For The Two We Just Made]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Activision ATVI and Vivendi are merging. Electronic Arts ERTS could very well buy Take-Two TTWO. So what will happen to the little guys?Were going to be fine! says Brian Farrell who runs smallish game company THQ. He gives Reuters the standard line small companies always deliver about  being nimble more aggressive than the larger slower firms.What about bulking up to compete with the big guys? Dont need to Brain says M&amp;A is not a required or necessary thing in order to grow.Except when it is THQ bought casual games maker Elephant Entertainment this week and Big Huge Games in January.]]></description>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:31:29 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/thq-we-dont-need-acquisitions-except-for-the-two-we-just-made/44585/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/thq-we-dont-need-acquisitions-except-for-the-two-we-just-made/44585/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Video Game Champs]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[S&amp;ampPs Jim Yin discusses his outlook for game developers Electronic Arts Take-Two Activision and THQ as well as the sector as a whole]]></description>
		<pubDate>Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:31:06 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/video-game-champs/41853/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/video-game-champs/41853/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Paramount Pictures Is Making A Play In Games]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Paramount Pictures said this year it will be expanding its interactive department to publish video games focusing in particular on casual handheld and mobile games according to Variety. The studio which created a new global business unit in February is now saying it will make a multi-million investment to create games too. Various games will take different paths whether they are published in house co-published or licensed to other game developers. The Viacom NYSE VIA studio will be tapping the expertise of two industry executives Matt Candler will be VP of interactive development in charge of developer relations for games the studio is funding and will also help package film properties into games. He comes from Grind Games Seven Studios Six Studios and Activision NSDQ ATVI. Luke Letizia will be exec director of interactive licensing watching over projects that are licensed to other publishers. Theyll work with Sandi Isaacs Paramounts SVP of interactive and mobile and Harry Lang VP of interactive and mobile production.The article said that Paramounts move to getting more involved in making the video games is a trend towards ensuring quality as well as moving faster without having to wait for a publisher to become interested. It said Warner Bros. is the only other studio publishing games. Issacs said We are entering into deals now where we will be publishing games this year.Rafat adds MTV Networks the sister company within Viacom is also investing heavily in gaming with $500 million investment. Then Nickelodeon is readying the first of 600 casual games that will be introduced across its collection of websites.RelatedNickelodeons Game Plan 600 Casual Games Being Developed 185 Games Planned For Nick.com AloneMTV Plans $500 Million Investment In Gaming Development Of Games On Par With ProgrammingUpdated Paramount Pictures Creates New Mobile Entertainment Unit Interview Sandi Isaacs]]></description>
		<pubDate>Sat, 29 Mar 2008 10:46:22 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/paramount-pictures-is-making-a-play-in-games/41658/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/paramount-pictures-is-making-a-play-in-games/41658/</link>		
	</item>
	
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[S&amp;ampP Picks and Pans J.C. Penney Apollo Group TD Ameritrade Schwab]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[Plus analysts opinions on Activision and KB Home]]></description>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:31:05 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid>http://nobosh.com/s/sampp-picks-and-pans-jc-penney-apollo-group-td-ameritrade-schwab/41398/</guid>
		<link>http://nobosh.com/s/sampp-picks-and-pans-jc-penney-apollo-group-td-ameritrade-schwab/41398/</link>		
	</item>
	
	</channel>
</rss>
