Just 
a few short years ago, massively-multiplayer online games (MMOs) were considered the future of gaming.
Virtually every publisher was running one, building one, or contemplating one. A lot of those failed. A few struggled along with small but loyal audiences. And all of them acknowledged that they lived under the shadow of perennial champ World of Warcraft.
Add 
Blizzard Entertainment to the long list of video game companies that have been hacked in the past 18 months.
Mike Morhaime, president of the company behind titles such as World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, and Diablo III, announced the breach of the company’s Battle.net servers in a note to users late Thursday afternoon, urging them to change their passwords.
Another 
month, another batch of bad news for the game industry.
July continued the industry’s ugly retail decline, with sales of video game software falling 23 percent compared to last year, according to The NPD Group.
Google’s 
not a company afraid to reach into its pockets.
In the course of its 14-year history, the Internet giant has purchased more than 100 other businesses — spending over $22 billion in the process — and it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
As 
the race for the White House heats up, presidential hopefuls find themselves in situations that were unthinkably outlandish just a matter of months ago as they do whatever it takes to win.
While this metaphor could arguably extend to the real-world candidates, we’re actually talking about the scenarios conjured up by the cottage video game industry that springs up during election years. The 2012 election has become fair game for developers to exploit — and the advent of the social and mobile gaming world has opened the floodgates.
Curt 
Schilling’s video game dreams are now the property of the state of Rhode Island.
A U.S. Bankruptcy judge has given The Rhode Island Economic Development Corp. and Bank of New York Mellon Trust Co. the go-ahead to take 38 Studios’ assets — specifically, the IP for its games.
Key 
members of the development team on Bioshock Infinite have left Irrational Games, raising questions about the state of the highly anticipated title, sources tell Gamasutra.
Tim Gerritsen, director of product development, and art director Nate Wells have both announced their departure. Wells was a 13 year veteran of the studio, whose distinctive style was heralded in the original Bioshock.
A 
15-year old from Columbus, Ohio was rushed to an area hospital Tuesday after collapsing during a marathon session of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 that lasted between four and five days.
Tyler Rigsby was admitted to the Ohio State University Medical Center, suffering from dehydration. Hospital officials say he was released later in the day.
For 
years, Amazon has been a looming figure in the video game industry. On Monday, it finally pulled the trigger.
The retail giant has launched a new division, called Amazon Game Studios, which will focus (initially, at least) on social games, though expect it to branch into other areas in the months and years to come.
To 
say the last two weeks have been unkind to Zynga is a bit of an understatement. The company’s stock has plunged roughly 45 percent. It reported an earnings shortfall. Guidance was reduced. And it found itself on the receiving end of a lawsuit from one of the videogame industry’s biggest publishers.
The hits just keep on coming for a company that not long ago was the poster child for the next big thing in gaming. More bad news for Zynga could be on the way.
Chris Morris: Journalist 