They are the professional analysts who research, keep track of, advise their clients on, and opine to the news media about the video game business. In Analyze This, we present a timely question pertaining to the business side of the industry, and then simply let a trio of analysts offer their thoughts directly to you. Each person's opinion is his own.

Ed Barton of Screen Digest, Jesse Divnich of Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, and Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities considered these questions:

Generally, what are your thoughts about mergers (such as the recent one between Activision and Blizzard) and all the talk, rumors and speculation about other possible mergers/acquisitions in the industry (including EA's attempt to buy Take-Two)? Why has there been, apparently, such a strong "urge to merge"?

Which developers or publishers do you see are ripe for being acquired?

Ultimately, how do you think this will affect various people in the industry -- like the developers and the consumer?