GameSpot News has been informed by a knowledgeable and trusted source that Eidos is currently putting the finishing touches on an announcement that will officially confirm what we've been reporting since April of this year - Eidos is going to take control of the beleaguered Ion Storm.

　　Our source tells us that the announcement will be released this Friday and will also confirm the ousting of both Todd Porter and Jerry O'Flaherty. Eidos will indeed be taking a 51-percent share of the company, and Eidos' John Kavanaugh will be moving in to run the company. And the remaining founding members of Ion Storm - John Romero, Tom Hall, and Warren Spector - will remain as employees of Eidos. Last week, Ion staff was informed of the upcoming announcement. The information we received indicates that Porter and O'Flaherty will be the only employees to be let go.

　　Why did the deal take so long to complete? An easy question to answer: Porter and O'Flaherty had certain clauses in their contract with Ion that Eidos had to negotiate out of to compensate them for their departure.

　　We contacted Eidos Interactive, giving the company an opportunity to confirm or deny the report. A spokesperson for the company replied, "No comment at this time."

　　On Thursday evening, Eidos will throw its grand gala Tomb Raider party here in San Francisco, and we suspect that the announcement regarding the Ion acquisition may be announce a little early. Stay tuned for more information.