The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) appointed former executive at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and senior counsel to the United States Department of Justice, Kenneth Doroshow, as its new General Counsel.

Last year the ESA sued the state of Minnesota for unconstitutional video game law, legal fees which unfortunately would fall back on taxpayers, and today the ESA has received a $65,000 payment for its expenses in successfully challenging said process.

New reports from market research company DFC Intelligence forecasts worldwide video game industry revenue to reach $57 billion in 2009, including revenue from video game hardware and software, consoles, handhelds, PC games (including MMOs). There are currently 11 countries that have annual video game revenue in excess of $1 billion.

David Warhol, president of Realtime Associates, and Vincent Bitetti, former CEO of TDK Mediactive, announced the formation of Music Video Games (MvG), a music-based game company focused on delivering interactive entertainment experiences for both casual gamers and music fans.

Sports fans play more video games than non-sports fans, according to research from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Sports Video Group (SVG), revealing that 60 % of sports fans who report owning a HD TV also own a video game console compared to 43% of non-sports fans.

Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law the 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act (HB 1100), new legislation designed to encourage entertainment industry productions such as qualified films, TV series, commercials, music videos, and video game productions, in Georgia.

Hosted by the UK trade magazine, The MCV Industry Excellence Awards 2008 saw Nintendo grab three honors (Games Publisher, PR Team and the prestigious Grand Prix Award). Other big winners included Assassins Creed as new Games Brand, GAME as Specialist Retailer, Play.com as Online Retailer and Cooking Mama as Sales Triumph.

NPD Group announced that video game software sales in 2007 reached a new record of $9.5 billion, a 28% increase compared to last year. Console games amounted to $6.6 billion, PC titles $910.7 million and handhelds a record $2.0 billion.

According to a series of new reports from DFC Intelligence the worldwide video game and interactive entertainment industry is expected to grow from about $33 billion in 2006 to as much as $47 billion in 2009.

GDC's parent company CMP Game Group conducted a study making a tally of the number of people working within the video games industry in North America. The Game Developer Census 2007 lists 39,700 professionals developing or publishing games within the United States, and more than 8,100 professionals in Canada.

The Federal Trade Commission acknowledged the video game industry’s leadership in its self-regulatory programs that provide parents the tools they need to make the best video game purchasing and rental choices for their families, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) said today.

Video game industry veterans Ellen Fuog and Jeff Hill have created publishing venture Detn8 Games Ltd., which will focus on games for console and handheld hardware. The company has acquired all-platform licensee status with Nintendo and SCEA and is scheduled to publish its first release in June, 2007.

The Game Developers’ Association of Australia revealed findings from its first survey in 3 years, showing that the entertainment/gaming industry is in a phase of record growth.

New reports from DFC Intelligence predict that the worldwide video game and interactive entertainment industry (hardware, software, PC, consoles and handhelds) is expected to grow from about $29 billion in 2005 to as much as $44 billion in 2011.

Earlier this month Vivendi finally pinned down a release date for Scarface: The World Is Yours, currently set for Oct. 3, 2006. Hollywood writer David McKenna ("Blow," "American History X") wrote the script for Radical's movie adaptation, but has mixed feelings about Hollywood's dipping into the archives for games.

With the news of the European PS3 launch delay, certain competitors might be eager to seize on the opportunity to push extra units over the holidays. Nintendo was rather subdued in its comments, while Microsoft was a bit more forthcoming, while industry analysts say the delay won't affect things too much, except for European stores who might be in a jam, and predict Nintendo might have the most to gain. Read more for details ...

The computer and video game industry filed suit today in Oklahoma, requesting the state's new video game law be overturned. Similar laws have been deemed unconstitutional by six federal courts in five years, all rejecting the claims that violent video games incite aggression.

Today, Big Screen Entertainment Group announced that it has already begun the first phases of developing Xbox and PlayStation console video games, while also creating mobile and PDA content.

Six new stars were unveiled yesterday on Walk of Game, Sid Meier and John Carmack for Lifetime Achievement, and Lara Croft, StarCraft, Final Fantasy and EverQuest as Favorite Games/Characters. Each received a star on Walk of Game, located inside San Francisco's Metreon.

DFC Intelligence is reporting that the worldwide interactive entertainment market is expected to grow from about $28.5 billion in 2005 to around $42 billion in 2010. The interactive entertainment market consists of console video games, PC games, online games and dedicated portable systems.

The computer and video game industry will file suit in Michigan asking that the state's new video game law be overturned, the Entertainment Software Association announced today. Similar laws were previously found unconstitutional and thrown out in St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Washington State, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Electronic Arts and the GRAMMY Foundation today announced GRAMMY Pro Session: Video Game Music And Sound Design. The GRAMMY Foundation's Pro Session series gives students an insider's view into careers in the music industry.

The Hollywood Reporter has word that the new Interactive Media Agreement, which secured higher wages and increased benefits but no residuals (i.e. profit-sharing) for the SAG members who lend their voices and likenesses to video games, was approved by 81.2% of the members who voted on the contract.

The computer and video game industry will file a lawsuit today seeking to prevent implementation of Illinois HB 4023, a bill limiting the sale and rental of computer and video games, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced today. Joining in the complaint are the Video Software Dealers Association and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. In similar cases in St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Washington State, virtually identical bills were struck down.

Hollywood actors unions have reached a contract deal with video game publishers, accepting higher pay instead of the profit-sharing they had demanded, the unions said Wednesday, removing the threat of a strike.