GameStop might be the retail sales leader when it 
comes to video games, but the company’s lack of a strong digital arm has always worried analysts.
The announcement, then, that the company has purchased Impulse, a digital distribution service, as well as game streaming service Spawn Labs, is being met with cheers. And GameStop’s prediction that it will see digital revenues hit $1.5 billion by 2014 is receiving an even warmer reception.
Sony Online Entertainment, the one-time leader
in the online gaming space, has been scaled back significantly.
The company has closed three development studios and laid off 205 of its roughly 700 employees amid growing competition in the space and the increasing number of alternate gaming platforms, such as the iPhone and Facebook.
When it comes to sports video games, Electronic 
Arts is largely viewed as the industry’s king. But for the past six years, the company has had a hole in its lineup: Major League Baseball.
With its hands tied due to an exclusivity agreement between MLB and Take-Two Interactive Software, EA has had to ride the bench. Today, though, it’s stepping back into the batter’s circle.
With increasing competition from Apple, and a customer 
base that’s more price-conscious than ever, Nintendo has a lot riding on the 3DS.
The new handheld device, which launches Sunday, represents a leap of faith on the publisher’s part. With cheap and free games available on so many other platforms, will eye-popping effects and the lure of the strongest collection of franchises in the video game industry be enough to keep consumers interested?
While the Halo series might be one of the biggest 
names in the gaming universe, the Master Chief falls a bit short when it comes to his peers. Microsoft’s biggest franchise is nowhere to be found in the ranking of the industry’s best selling games, as ranked by life-to-date sales.
The list, calculated by the NPD Group, uses data that reaches back to 1995 is not inflation adjusted. (It looks at gross sales.) But it still shines some light on the biggest individual titles the industry. CNBC.com looks at the 10 biggest.
Activision-Blizzard has come 
a long way in the past few years.
It wasn’t that long ago that the company was an also-ran in video game industry, making some strong franchises, but never really dominating the sales charts. These days, though, the company is responsible for five of the 10 highest grossing games of all time.
There’s no doubt that Apple’s latest iteration of the iPad
is a hit with consumers. Day one sales are estimated at 500,000 or above and people are still lining up outside their nearest Apple store to get their hands on one.
But the iPad 2 is entering a much different world than its predecessor. And while Apple still holds a commanding market share position, it may be in for a much tougher fight this time around.
While its roots might be in the 
music industry, the annual South by Southwest has had a number of business success stories as well.
Some of the biggest Internet brands took off at the show – and several notable up and coming sites have the Austin get-together to thank for their early traction. Here are some of the most notable success stories.
The annual South by Southwest conference 
has always been viewed as a place for independent artists and startups to shine. Musicians, filmmakers and new tech companies all compete for awareness among the show’s influential show goers (who often act as evangelists for what they like when they return home).
With the surge of growth in SXSW, though, large companies have invaded the show, looking to capitalize on that same audience, to build awareness for their new products or try to woo some of those evangelists to sing their praises when they return home.
Some, though, just want to cash in on the crowd.
The annual South by Southwest gathering 
has plenty of success stories to crow about, but getting a big break here is harder than ever these days.
The show, dubbed “geek spring break” by some, has grown beyond its music and film roots to become a gathering spot for venture capitalists and some of the biggest stars in the tech world. But as it has grown, it has become more difficult for startups to turn heads.
Chris Morris: Journalist 