Buena Vista Games announced today that effective from Summer 2005, it will become a multi-platform publisher launching a portfolio of high profile video games in the UK, Germany and France. BVG will extend its current portfolio of kids- and family-focused titles to a wider audience, to include 'tween, teen and core gamers.

Buena Vista Games today announced two major business deals to strengthen the company's internal game development capabilities and further its goals of becoming a top tier publisher of handheld and console games. The deals include the acquisition of acclaimed Salt Lake City-based video game developer, Avalanche Software LC and the establishment of a start-up development studio in Vancouver, Canada, led by former Electronic Arts Canada senior development and business staff.

A contract between video game developers and unionized actors lending their voices to video games is set to expire on Friday, and no new contract has been agreed upon, leaving open the possibility of actors on strike. The Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA are in negotiations with a group of major videogame publishers, all of which have come to rely on union talent for increasingly cinematic videogames. Since videogame revenue rivals that of the box office, SAG wants a piece of the pie, and a strike could affect actors such as Clint Eastwood, Vin Diesel, or even Marlon Brando in EA's The Godfather. Read the full article over at Variety...

Game Savant announced that phase one of their three-part rollout has begun. In today's world it takes a full time employee to try and review new games before you purchase them, but they only cover the big ones. What about all the wonderfully innovative independent games out there? Phase one of Game Savant is to take the month's best releases and bring their playable demos via CD to your doorstep, free.

Today Ubisoft announced an exclusive multi-title licensing agreement with Sony Pictures Consumer Products to develop and publish games based on "Open Season" and "Surf's Up," the first two feature-length animated films from Sony Pictures Animation.

Vista Engine is an integrated system for the creation of modern high-quality RTS & RPG games. The system unites the latest technological innovations, multi-purpose tools for creation and assembling of game content and the most important part - full visual control over general structure, content and game logic without additional programming or scripting. Read more for details and screens...

TKO Software announced today that it entered into an agreement whereby Iron Will Games of Austin, Texas will assume full operational responsibility for its MMOG (massively multiplayer on-line game) title, Ashen Empires.

A few days ago we revealed that KD-Labs has formed a new label KDV Games and today they announced the signing of a deal which will see Codemasters publish their first, yet unannounced, title. KDV Games is focused on the development of new technologies and professional toolsets for the effective creation of quality entertainment software and the new project will become the first testing ground for its brand new Vista Engine.

The K-D LAB team announces the establishment and active promotion of a new trademark KD VISION Games Development Company. The people behind KDV Games are a team of professional computer games developers, who have worked hard on the promotion of K-D LAB's brand in national and world markets for many years.

Telltale Games, a new development studio in Northern California today outlined the company’s plans to re-energize the Adventure Game category from their San Rafael headquarters.

VU Games announced today the lineup of titles the company will be showcasing at the World Cyber Games Championship Expo in San Francisco from October 7th through the 10th. The Expo will be open to the public and will be located at and around Polk Hall, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in Downtown San Francisco.

Vivendi Universal Games announced today that the company has forged a technology, marketing, and promotional relationship with ATI Technologies, the leading graphics card supplier, in support of the PC videogame Tribes:Vengeance, due to be released in the United States on October 5th.

Video game veterans, Morten Brodersen, Johnni Christensen and Phillip Tavel have pooled their many years of experience in creating multimillion unit-selling franchises, and formed the new video game development house, Third Wave Games. The company's first game introduction will be War World, a mech-on-mech online combat game for the PC that will be available this fall.

Valve Corporation today revealed a series of new games and features being added to the Valve Cybercafé Program over the coming months. Effective immediately, subscribers of the Valve Cybercafe Program will receive a free license to use Xbox versions of Valve's games in their cafés, up to the number of active cybercafe subscriptions held in the Valve Cybercafe Program.

Vivendi Universal Games announced today the development of the latest action-packed project from the developer that created award-winning games like Aliens vs. Predator, the No One Lives Forever franchise and Tron2.0. Developed by Monolith Productions, F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault and Recon), is an intense first person close-quarters combat experience with rich atmosphere and an engaging storyline.

Vivendi today announced its multi-platform product line-up for the 2004 E3. The company will showcase 18 highly anticipated titles, including: Blizzard's World of Warcraft, StarCraft: Ghost; Half-Life2; Crash Twinsanity and Spyro: A Hero’s Tail; Van Helsing and The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay; Fight Club and also a yet unannounced title from Monolith (revealed as a mix between The Matrix meets The Ring). Read more for details on each title ...

The Adventure Company, and Chorion PLC, the owner, developer and manager of branded entertainment content, have announced a strategic partnership to develop interactive PC games based on the works of the world’s most popular writer of detective fiction, Agatha Christie.

Konami Digital Entertainment - America and Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. today announced an exclusive distribution agreement in which VU Games will distribute Konami's widespread roster of PC games in the United States and Canada. The publishing and marketing efforts for the games covered by the agreement will continue to be performed by KDEA's Redwood City, CA office.

Resolution Interactive has acquired full rights from Daydream Software to computer games Clusterball and X-Team Racing, and the game concepts Scarcefreak and Billion Dollar Disc. The agreement includes code, design and community servers, as well as customer databases. One exception is South America, where Daydream keeps the Clusterball and X-Team Racing rights for 3 years in order to complete unfinished business. Daydream is also allowed to use existing Autobahn code in its future production.

Who says video games are a waste of time? Certainly not those who will be competing for thousands of dollars in this year's V Games (www.thevgames.com), sponsored by Ziff Davis Media Group and EB Games. From March to October of 2004, 30 cities will host qualifying rounds of the 2004 V Games, the first ever live-action, console and PC based video game tournament. An estimated 30,000 people will compete in eight top video games nation-wide.

Vivendi Universal Games announced that it has hired Chance Thomas as the Tolkien Music Director in charge of the creation and production of the musical themes for all of its videogames based on The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Capcom today shipped Resident Evil Code Veronica: X for GameCube. This time you play as Claire Redfield from Resident Evil 2. After narrowly surviving the horrific onslaught in Raccoon City, Claire now seeks clues in search of her missing brother, Chris. To her horror, she discovers Umbrella Corporation’s insidious activities are not isolated to the remote, mid-western city... Capcom also today shipped Gotcha Force for GameCube. It’s toy versus toy in this over-the-top 3-D action shooter. You can create your own fighting force with over 100 unique characters. Use strategy to build the toughest force. Character collecting becomes addictive as the combinations are endless! Four players can battle for control in 4 player battle mode or 2 against 2. Play against your friends or work together to defeat the baddest toys on the block.

Namco Hometek Inc. announced today its character-based action adventure game, I-Ninja, has begun shipping to retail outlets nationwide. The game, available for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, is rated T for Teen and carries an MSRP of $49.99. I-Ninja will also ship for the Nintendo GameCube and the Xbox videogame system from Microsoft in early December... Microsoft Game Studios announced today that 'NBA Inside Drive 2004', is now available on store shelves across North America. The third installment of the Xbox-exclusive basketball franchise makes its debut as the inaugural basketball title in Microsoft's XSN Sports brand. With all-new online playability via Xbox Live and the free agent acquisition of three-time NBA Champion Shaquille O'Neal, who will serve as the game's official cover athlete and spokesperson, 'NBA Inside Drive 2004' is poised to take hoopsters beyond the box... Konami Digital Entertainment today announced that the newest addition to its popular interactive dancing series, Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, has shipped to retail outlets nationwide.

Another day, another batch of games is released.

• Medal Of Honor Rising Sun - Xbox, PS2 & NGC
• Goblin Commander - PS2 & Xbox
• Beyond Good & Evil - PS2
• Culdcept - PS2
• Onimusha Tactics - GBA
• Mario Party 5 - NGC
• Disney's Magical Quest 2 Starring Mickey And Minnie - GBA

Since this is Tuesday, and everybody is getting their Christmas goodies ready the day has bene filled with games shipping to stores .. Here's a few more :

• Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends (PS2)
• DR. Seuss' The Cat In The Hat (PS2/Xbox/GBA)
• Civilization III: Conquests (PC)
• Trainz Railroad Simulator 2004 (PC)