When EA announced layoffs and closures last week, its UK studio was apparently not the only victim. A memo sent by EA Games President Frank Gibeau reveals that EA Chicago, known for the Fight Night and Def Jam titles, as well Marvel Nemesis, has tripled in size over the past few years but has yet to turn a profit, and is therefore being shut down. The Fight Night franchise has moved to EA Sports, while the fate of other titles (Def Jam 2, Marvel fighting game) are being discussed.

Guitar Hero fans will channel their inner rock god, experience new features and content including a new multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, exclusive unlockables, and authentic rock venues. To support the launch of GH3, Activision, Pontiac and Hot Topic are teaming up on a national promotion giving fans the chance to win a 2008 Pontiac G5.

Industry veterans Gary Corriveau and Steve Bergenholtz, founder of Sandlot Games, now part of EA, announced the formation of Beanbag Studios, a new company poised to raise the bar for the design and production of high quality casual games.

Majesco announced that it's establishing an internal development facility in the Los Angeles area, adding technical and design skills to the company’s overall operation, with a focus on products and properties that resonate with the casual gamer.

SEGA's Sonic Rivals 2 is in development exclusively for the PSP, getting a revamped jostling system, new battle mode, and updated rivalry.

It's WWI. Your country depends on you. Get in your plane and meet the battle. Destroy enemy zeppelins and many other ground targets in this intense flight combat

Ivolgamus' Fading Shadows is an addictive puzzle-platformer game exclusive to the PSP offering an entirely unique style of action-packed puzzle gameplay, stunning graphics and visual effects, a riveting and immersive storyline, plus a competitive wireless multiplayer game mode.

Empire has signed an agreement with Fireglow Game to distribute Stranger, an RPG / RTS hybrid, and Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory, latest installment in the WWII RTS franchise, in the UK.

Arcade Moon invites you to water world of speed boats and crazy races in Aquadelic GT! Join the Aquadelic league and race for glory and cold, hard cash across Russian canals, Greek port towns and Caribbean islands!

Another day, another batch of games shipped to stores. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are announcements for:

• Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII (PS3)
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (NDS/PS3/X360/PC)
• Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (NDS)
• Empire Earth III (PC)
• Gears of War (PC)
• Horse Life (NDS)
• John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland (NDS)
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)
• My Coach Games (Wii/NDS)
• Neves (NDS)
• Ontamarama (NDS)
• Silent Hill Origins (PSP)
• SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike (PSP)
• Spectrobes Collector's Edition (NDS)
• Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance (PC)
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  We will update this throughout the day when new announcements become available. Read more for details ...

Destineer, formed by former Bungie Software executive vice president Peter Tamte, announce that it has licensed Unreal Engine 3 from Epic Games, Inc., for a yet to be announced project.

NBA 2K8 elevates the game of basketball to new levels for the next-gen systems. NBA 2K8 also continues to build and expand the groundbreaking Signature Style feature that will include hundreds of new shooting, passing and dribbling animations.

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announced that it will launch a newly designed PS2 in Japan on Nov. 22nd, 2007 (Europe early 2008) for an estimated 6,000 yen in three color variations, Charcoal Black, Ceramic White and Satin Silver. The new PS2 now has an internal AC and will be lighter in weight.

World in Conflict is a strategy game that delivers intense action and coordinated team play amidst the war the world feared most – an apocalyptic showdown between the Soviet Union and the United States, with completely destructible 3D battlefields, aggressive team-based multiplayer action and a focus on fast, hard-hitting battles.

Weigh anchor, sail the seven seas, explore new continents and foreign cultures. Demonstrate your strategic skills, business acumen and diplomatic finesse. Revel in the jubilant cheers of your people – but don't disappoint them. This v1.04 patch makes the game compatible with The Sunken Dragon expansion, currently only available in Germany.

Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess, the 3rd expansion pack for Square Enix MMO, includes new areas, a wide variety of new jobs, time travel, and large scale battlefields. At a Final Fantasy Fan Festival in Osaka, Japan the Final Fantasy XI team announced a new Job for the game, the Scholar.

Writer/director Roger Avary, who won an Academy Award for Pulp Fiction with Quentin Tarantino, told SCI FI Wire that he is almost done with the script for his film adaptation of the Return to Castle Wolfenstein video game, which he hopes to direct. He added that everything is on hold until the writers' strike ends. Avary, who said he did research into the paranormal, the American military and the Nazis, also wrote the script for the Silent Hill movie.

EA's Orcs & Elves, developed by Fountainhead Entertainment, is a first-person fantasy role playing game created by id Software and making the move from mobile phone game. id Software's John Carmack tells us more about technology and games.

Electronic Arts' first Wii trivia game Smarty Pants will combine age-targeted trivia with action-based gestures, making it a truly trans-generational game for the Wii.

Reflexive Entertainment, in conjunction with The Axiom Corporation, announces that the mining colony 'AF128' in orbit above Neutron Star PSR B1913+16 is now in full production. Inside the mine, pilots discover side-scrolling, omni-directional, 3D, physics-based job challenges that will push their piloting skills while dazzling their eyes.

The President of the United States has lost it. Federally mandated group hugs, a pudding embargo... what's next, gun control? Sam & Max are off to Washington to take care of this bozo, but the political climate will only get stormier... and a new power will rise…

Kira Kira Pop Princess is a music rhythm game that immerses the player in the world of Gaby as she learns the moods, styles and rhythms of Rainbow City, the city of fashion and music.

Trion World Network has tapped Nicholas Beliaeff, former Executive Director of Development and San Diego Studio Manager for Sony Online Entertainment, to grow the publisher and developer’s San Diego presence as well as manage game development across all of Trion’s studio locations.

Another day, another batch of game trailers was released. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are trailers for:

• Kane & Lynch: Dead Men [PS3/X360/PC] - Sissy Trailer
• Need for Speed ProStreet [ALL] - Race Day Events & Tech Trailer
• Empire Earth 3 - Eastern Faction Trailer
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl [Wii] - Fox Saves Diddy Trailer
• CSI 4: Hard Evidence [X360/PC] - Making Of Trailer #1
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  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Antitrust regulators have cleared Electronic Arts' $775 million purchase of VG Holding Corp, which owns two software studios from private equity fund Elevation Partners, BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios.