Gaming News Round-Up: February 9th, 2005

Today's round-up includes a new business appointment for Buena Vista Games, as well as a 'unique' game-related role for Tony Hawk in the latest CSI TV show. - Buena Vista Games, the videogame arm of Walt Disney, has named a new Director of Business Development and Production. Bob Picunko, formerly of Interplay before spending three years as BVG's Director of Marketing. Picunko will work under Michael Ryder, Vice President of Worldwide Production, and his duties will include working with developers and considering game concepts for the company. "We want to make BVG a creative force in the game industry by establishing close relationships with the remarkable talent within the development community," Picunko said. - Tony Hawk, skateboarding star of the last six Tony Hawk games, will make an appearance in the CBS show "CSI: Miami" as none other than a skateboarding star producing his own videogame. Hawk's role in the crime drama will apparently be the murder victim, as his character is killed during production of the game. The episode, entitled "Game Over" and set to run in April, is currently filming, and the Tony Hawk Foundation is auctioning off a pair of tickets to visit the set during Hawk's February 22 taping.