SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Video game publisher THQ Inc (THQI.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Tuesday that it has entered into exclusive talks with a financial sponsor for potential financing alternatives.

The Agoura Hills, California-based company, which has cut staff and shut non-core businesses in an effort to revive its business, did not provide further details while negotiations were underway.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – GameStop Corp, the world’s largest retailer of videogame products, reported a stronger-than-expected profit on Thursday but lowered its sales forecast for this year due to uncertainty around the holiday shopping season as the video game market struggles.

Grapevine, Texas-based GameStop forecast same-store sales in 2012 would drop 6 percent to 9 percent, compared with a 2 to 10 percent decline projected previously.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – GameStop Corp (GME.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the world’s largest retailer of video game products, said its sales dropped in the third quarter due to slowing videogame hardware and software sales.

It reported adjusted net earnings per share of 38 cents beating analysts’ expectations of 32 cents.

Nov 13 (Reuters) – Activist investor Carl Icahn increased
his stake in video game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software
Inc to 12.9 percent from 11.69 percent, according to a
regulatory filing on Tuesday.

It is the fourth time since Nov. 5 that Icahn has scooped up
stock in Take-Two, known for its “Grand Theft Auto” game.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp’s “Halo 4″ action-shooter video game delivered robust sales on its launch — a good sign for the flagging video game industry and setting up a tough battle with Activision Blizzard Inc’s latest “Call of Duty”.

As more gamers migrate from console gaming to mobile offerings on tablets and smartphones, the video game industry has seen revenues decline and the performance of both titles in the upcoming holiday shopping season and 2013 is being watched closely as a gauge of future demand for the sector.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp said its “Halo 4″ video game racked up $220 million in global sales on its launch day, beating records set by previous installments of the hit series.

Action-shooter “Halo 4,” released last Tuesday, is on its way to reaching $300 million in global sales in its first week, making it the biggest launch in the decade-old Halo franchise’s history, the company said.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 12 (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp
said the “Halo 4″ video game that it released last week racked
up $220 million in global sales on its launch day, beating
records set by previous installments of its hit game series.

Action-shooter “Halo 4″ — released last Tuesday — is on
its way to reach $300 million in global sales in its first week,
making it the biggest launch in the decade-old Halo franchise’s
history, the company said.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 7 (Reuters) – Activision Blizzard Inc
raised its 2012 outlook on Wednesday on expectations of
strong holiday sales of its latest title in the “Call of Duty”
franchise, despite competition from Microsoft Corp’s
blockbuster “Halo 4.”

Investors are keeping a close eye on action-shooter “Call of
Duty: Black Ops II,” a game that hits stores next week and
advances a franchise that has broken sales records and driven
Activision’s fourth-quarter performance in past years.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Activision Blizzard Inc (ATVI.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) raised its 2012 outlook, expecting strong holiday sales of its latest title in the “Call of Duty” franchise, despite competition from Microsoft Corp’s (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) blockbuster “Halo 4.”

The world’s largest video game publisher now expects earnings per share of $1.10 in 2012, compared with 99 cents previously. It raised its revenue estimate to $4.8 billion from $4.63 billion. This beat Wall Street’s view of $1.01 earnings per share and revenue of $4.68 billion.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – “Master Chief” springs back into action on Tuesday with the release of Microsoft Corp’s Halo 4, the latest instalment of the Xbox blockbuster that will compete with Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty franchise for holiday-season bragging rights.

Microsoft hopes the return of the laconic green-armoured super-soldier protagonist of Halo, which has generated $3 billion of revenue since its 2001 launch, after a five-year hiatus will bring out gamers in droves when the title begins selling in more than 40 countries starting midnight.