Speaking to the BBC, Electronic Arts Chief Executive John Riccitiello made it perfectly clear why his company is attempting a hostile takeover of Take-Two Interactive. While Take-Two certainly has other talented development studios, for EA it's all about Rockstar and the hugely popular Grand Theft Auto IP.

"I believe the company is fully justified in calling themselves Rockstar because that's what they are in this industry," he said.

He added, ""The big headline here is that our primary interest is in Rockstar and the intellectual properties around Rockstar. Sports games are secondary consideration here."

Riccitiello also tried to counter fears that key Rockstar personnel would leave if Take-Two is acquired, or that they'd decide to no longer work on GTA titles. Interestingly, he seemed to imply that with or without Rockstar, EA would go on making GTA.

"There is no doubt that EA is several times larger than Take Two - everyday somebody walks in and somebody walks out. If the wrong guy walks out, we have an issue to deal with. But we don't stop making games," he said. "In case of Rockstar I would point out that the leaders are young, vibrant, they're talented and committed. And what we have got right now is a corporate issue that has nothing to do with the people who build these games."

Citing Maxis, Riccitiello also reiterated that he doesn't believe integrating Rockstar into EA's city-state development structure would be a problem or would stifle innovation. "We worked collectively with Will Wright to create The Sims. When we bought Maxis, Sim City was selling 7 to 800,000 copies. The Sims is a level of performance to Sim City that the Empire State Building is to a very nice house," he commented.

Finally, Riccitiello almost seemed to warn investors of what might happen if EA doesn't successfully acquire Take-Two: "If we don't conclude this transaction, if we walk because of whatever level of inability to get this done, the scary thing is what the stock trades at after we leave, not after 29 April [GTA IV's release]."