Not too long ago EA offered to buy Take-Two Interactive. Take-Two is well known as the publisher of some of the most popular and controversial games to be found for console and PC gaming systems. Take-Two is the publisher behind the Grand Theft Auto series, Bioshock, and Manhunt.

EA offered to buy Take-Two Interactive for a paltry $26 per share. I say paltry because Take-Two stock has been commonly trading for slightly more than the $26 offer. Take-Two recommended to its stockholders that they turn down the EA offer as inadequate.

A massive buyout has taken place within the world of video game development. One of the world’s biggest makers and distributors of video games, Electronic Arts, has agreed to buy out the holding company that owns BioWare and Pandemic Studios, two leaders in the industry for the princely sum of $860 million dollars. EA pays $620 million to the investors of VG Holding Corporation, the company that bought the two software developers two years back for $300 million, as well as $155 million in equity to employees, assume $50 million dollars in stock options and pay $35 million to cover the cost of the deal.

BioWare is the developer of the two “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” and “Neverwinter Nights” games, both of which proved to be bestsellers and the choice of many for game of the year. Since those two licenses are owned by third parties the intellectual properties are not included in the EA deal. What is covered are all the original IPs that BioWare and Pandemic have created such as “Jade Empire”, “Mass Effect”, “Mercenaries” and “Saboteur”. As well BioWare is in development on a top secret massive multiplayer online game set for release sometime in 2009. That also becomes the property of EA.

Electronic Arts, publisher of The Sims franchise, is developing a new line of Sim games titled The Sims Stores, that are aimed at the laptop toting, MySpace generation.

The Sims is EA’s number one franchise. EA has sold more the 70 million Sim’s titles worldwide since 2000. The Sim’s games are notable because half the players are female. Most video games are played by males.

EA has designed The Sim Life Stories to be less technologically demanding than other video games. The games do not …