Nintendo Inc.

Description

It's not a game, boy, it's serious business, and Nintendo -- one of the Big Three videogame console makers -- knows it. Nintendo's GameCube and Wii systems battle with Microsoft for second place in its industry while Sony leads the trio. In the handheld console segment, however, Nintendo's Game Boy system remains the leader. The firm debuted a videogame player called Nintendo DS (Nintendo Double Screen) in 2004, the Game Boy Micro in late 2005, and the DS Lite in 2006. Its Wii, pronounced "we," videogame system arrived in time for 2006 holiday sales.

Blizzard Entertainment

Description

Blizzard Entertainment hopes to continue to produce a flurry of hit games. The company (part of the Vivendi Games group) develops and publishes video game software, including the popular Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo series available for play on PCs and console systems. Its highly anticipated massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft debuted in North America to record-breaking sales in late 2004 and has since surpassed the 7 million worldwide player mark, making it one of the most popular MMORPGs.