Gaming News Round-Up: March 16th, 2005

Today's round-up includes news of a Ubisoft sports licensing coup, as well as information on Buena Vista's support for movies in the UMD format for Sony's soon-to-be-released PSP handheld. - The second of Ubisoft's recent sports property acquisitions has been revealed; the company will be using its recently acquired basketball engine to power a game based on the AND 1 clothing manufacturer and street basketball tournament sponsor. The game, named after the AND 1 Mix Tape Tour seen on ESPN, will feature similarly street-styled hoops, rather than use the official NBA license. No release date or platforms were mentioned for the AND 1 game, and while it's fair to assume that a number of AND 1 participants will also show up in the game, none of the basketballers were mentioned by name as being involved. - Buena Vista Home Entertainment has stepped in as another major film studio supporting Sony's PlayStation Portable-compatible UMD format for movies. The studio has pledged support of five titles to be released in spring 2005, made up of action fare such as National Treasure, Pirates of the Caribbean, Reign of Fire, Kill Bill vol. 1, and Hero. More movies from the Disney-owned studio were also promised to appear on UMD throughout the rest of the year.