On the cusp of the ridiculously-awaited first trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV, Wired Magazine has published a tremendously focused and in-depth examination of the history of Rockstar Games and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive.

For those of you who don’t know, Take-Two is in the throes of corporate agony that will ultimately result in something bad for any fans of its games - the breakup and sale of some of its studios to some other publisher (Ubisoft? Electronic Arts?), bankruptcy, and/or the removal of the last few company officers who have been behind its best games.

What does all of this mean? A few things, really.

For fanboys of the GTA series like myself, it could mean that the newest installment may never see the light of day (unlikely but possible) or at least not have the same level of dedication and perfection that made Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas the masterpieces that they are. No matter what, most of the people responsible for those titles are long gone.

For sports fanatics (also like myself), it could mean that the only other player not named Electronic Arts in the sports game biz could cease to exist. Considering that the past year’s NBA 2K7, NHL 2K7, and MLB 2K7 were all simply fantastic, this would be an unmitigated disaster.

No matter what, the article should be required reading for anyone interested in the business side of gaming. It’s brilliant, so check it out.