Vicon Ent.'s Los Angeles-based House of Moves has launched a new state-of-the art motion-capture studio at the University of Central Florida on the grounds of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, UCF's graduate video-game development school. The 3,500-square-foot studio, one of the largest on the East Coast, is described by House of Moves executives as a "world-class facility" for industry professionals and academia.

SEGA Corp. announced an exclusive partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), exclusive licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to develop BEIJING 2008 - THE OFFICIAL VIDEO GAME OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES. The game is being developed by Eurocom Ent. Software for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the PC. Additionally, BEIJING 2008 -- THE OFFICIAL MOBILE PHONE GAME OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES is also in the works and will be available summer 2008.

THX Ltd., Neural Audio Corp. and Sierra Ent., a division of Vivendi Games, announced that PROTOTYPE, the first-person shooter (FPS) for next-gen gaming consoles and PCs, will be the first videogame to feature Neural-THX Surround. The Neural-THX Surround technology enabled Radical Ent., an internal development studio of Sierra, to extend the surround sound experience from 5.1 to 7.1. PROTOTYPE will go on sale in the U.S. in fall 2008.

THQ has announced plans to release the WALL*E videogame in conjunction with the film's eagerly awaited theatrical debut from Disney/Pixar in the summer of 2008. WALL*E is anticipated to launch across all major gaming systems including the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, Wii, Nintendo DS, Windows PC and Mac, as well as wireless devices.

Laurent Taieb has been promoted to VP, Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP), France as part of the company's strategic commitment to expand and further deepen its licensing and merchandising operations in the market. Taieb has managed NVCP's strategy in France since January 2006, including the direct oversight of DORA THE EXPLORER, which under his leadership became the fastest-growing toy license ever for Fisher Price and has spent the last 22 consecutive months as the territory's number-one licensed property.

Dwight Little, the director of ANACONDAS: THE HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID, will helm the screen adaptation of the Namco videogame TEKKEN, VARIETY reports. CSP's Steven Paul and Benedict Carver are the producers of the film, which is being funded by Crystal Sky Pictures.

Penned by Alan McElroy, the script follows a martial arts master who leads a rebellion against the oppressive Tekken Corp.

Filming will begin Feb. 4th in Shreveport, Louisiana.

MTV Games announced an exclusive deal with internationally renowned motion picture and television producer Jerry Bruckheimer to develop and create new and original videogames, marking the producer’s first official foray into the gaming world. As part of the agreement, Bruckheimer will build a game incubation studio with MTV Games, where a team of experienced videogame experts, artists and storytellers will seek out and deliver new game concepts and intellectual property.

Following a year-long inquiry, the European Commission has accepted a French proposal to grant tax credits specifically dedicated to videogame production. The measure, which could take effect as early as Jan. 1, 2008, signals the EC's recognition of videogames as a cultural industry.

Eyetronics provided 3D scanning for Midway's next-gen title STRANGLEHOLD, released this fall for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. The game marks Midway's unique collaboration with Hong Kong movie legends, actor Chow Yun-Fat and director John Woo.

Tigar Hare Studios, founded by Michael Tigar and David Hare, has announced a series of recently completed high-profile projects, as well as two new growth directions for the full-service animation and fx studio.