Round-Up: AIAS Televised, Majesco Shake-Ups, EA In Korea

Today's round-up includes news on the AIAS awards possibly being televised on a major network, Majesco's restructuring and future plans, and EA's online Korean ambition, as well as the latest GameSetWatch posts, today's product news, and the latest Gamasutra job postings. - The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences will televise its 2007 presentation of the annual AIAS awards, in a partnership with Dick Clark Productions. The production studio handles several awards ceremonies, including the Golden Globes and the Daytime Emmy Awards, so Clark himself would not necessarily be involved in front of the cameras. The partnership could mean that the AIAS awards would be broadcast on a major network, lending it a bit more credibility than the current crop of cable-based video game awards programs such as Spike TV and G4's ceremonies. The AIAS awards are given each year as part of the D.I.C.E. Summit. - Majesco Entertainment has named Morris Sutton as its new chairman and interim CEO, in the wake of former chairman James Halpin's vacating the position. Sutton, the company's founder, will oversee all aspects of the company. Majesco is currently seeking an additional two independent directors to join its board (which is currently composed of Sutton and two existing independent directors), in order to maintain the required independent majority vote. Other announcements include that the company's available funding has increased from $16 million to $20 million, and that it is currently examining ways to comply with a Nasdaq notice that Majesco must have a minimum of $10 million in stockholders' equity. - EA Sports and Neowiz Corporation, a Korean game developer and publisher, have partnered to release EA's FIFA soccer franchise in Korea. The game scheduled for release is a new title rather than a version of EA's existing FIFA 06; the Korean game will be geared specifically for online play, with enhanced matchmaking and team building featues. "We want to launch our first online game in readiness for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in June. With football the most popular sport in Korea, and FIFA Soccer the #1 franchise from EA Korea, FIFA Soccer is the perfect choice to introduce our sports line to the Korean marketplace," said EA Korea general manager Savannah Hahn. - The latest posts on Gamasutra sister weblog GameSetWatch include an exploration into Lemmings, news on Revolution controller prototypes, and a picture gallery from the Game 2.0 event. - Also updated today: product news including Nuendo's audio products being used in the King Kong games, as well as the latest Gamasutra job postings from companies including 7 Studios, Activision / Infinity Ward, Ageia Technologies, Creat Studios, High Moon Studios, Midway Games, NCsoft, Splash Damage, The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago, and Vivendi Universal Games.