Brash Ent. is working closely with Vanguard Animation and Starz Media to develop a videogame based on this summer's animated feature SPACE CHIMPS, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The game is being developed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Wii and DS.

Produced by John H. Williams and Barry Sonnenfeld, the film is set for release by Fox on July 18th. The story follows Ham, a curious circus chimp, who leads a group of chimps on a space mission to a strange new planet. SNL's Andy Samberg is voicing Ham.

Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Skywalker Sound were nominated for six Academy Awards this morning. For the third year in a row, ILM pulled in two of the three vfx nomination spots with TRANSFORMERS and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END. Skywalker Sound also dominated the sound nominations taking three of the five slots in Sound Editing for their work on THERE WILL BE BLOOD, TRANSFORMERS and RATATOUILLE, which also received another nomination in the Sound Mixing category.

Autodesk and Electronic Arts have introduced a new project design workshop for Canada's first Masters for Digital Media (MDM) program at Great Northern Way Campus in Vancouver, British Columbia.

As part of the 20-month MDM program, the workshop will equip students with techniques to plan and manage digital media projects in their academic and professional careers.

Chuck Dages, who oversees Emerging Technology for Warner Bros., has been shifted from Technical Operations to Warner Bros. Home Ent. Group. He retains the title of EVP and continues to have oversight of Motion Picture Imaging (the studio's postproduction facility for film mastering, restoration and digital imaging for movies and television) and the Advanced Media Editorial department (which prepares feature films for distribution on airlines, cable networks and broadcast television).

ADV Films presents three new titles for Jan. 15, including volume two of VENUS VERSUS VIRUS, the third volume of XENOSAGA, and the massive GET BACKERS Seasons 1 & 2 Collection.

From veteran director Shinichiro Kimura (MABURAHO, BURN UP EXCESS) and the production team at Studio Hibari (NERIMA DAIKON BROTHERS) comes VENUS VERSUS VIRUS: EPIDEMIC, which first aired on Japanese television in Jan. 2007.

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.