Round-Up: Dungeon Siege Movie Doubled, Lucasfilm & Maya, PSVratings Site

Today's round-up includes news on the Family Media Guide's new game-related ratings website, Uwe Boll's latest advance toward his Teutonic 'Citizen Kane', and Lucasfilm Animation's decision to favor Maya, alongside today's product news and Gamasutra job postings. - The Family Media Guide, creators of the PSV Ratings system, has relaunched its subscription-based website, which features video games, movies, and TV shows rated under its proprietary guidelines. The site has a new search engine to search by specific ratings for profanity, sex, and violence (the three keystones of the PSV system) and new original content such as "Ask the Expert" by Dr. Vic Strasburger. Not everything is in full working order as yet, but when completed, the site hopes to offer a full range of alternatives to the various existing rating systems. - Only days after reaffirming his commitment to make the Postal movie, notorious director Uwe Boll has announced the creation of a new production company, Event Film, to handle his Dungeon Siege project. The official title of the movie will be In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, and Boll has announced plans to split the movie's release into two parts, similar to Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. The script promises "a huge epic adventure, and to support the exhibitors who can't accept a movie so long, we decided to split the movie in half," said Boll. The two halves of the movie will be released in quick succession, with part 1 coming out in November 2006 and part 2 in December 2006. - The Singapore division of Lucasfilm Animation has selected Alias' Maya software as its chief 3D animation tool, the studio announced today. The just-opened division will produce digitally animated movies and television shows, including the in-development Star Wars television series, as well as likely sharing some of its production assets with LucasArts' video game developers, whom also use Maya. "We needed a 3D solution with a proven track record and solid user base," said chief technology officer Cliff Plumer. "We were also looking for the software that would give our animators the greatest possible amount of creative flexibility. Maya was the obvious choice." - Also updated today: product news including Double Fusion's launch of Version 2.0 of its in-game advertising SDK, and today's Gamasutra jobs, including positions from 21st Century Systems, Inc., Climax, Electronic Arts, Javaground, Seven Studios, Sony Online Entertainment and The Art Institute of Phoenix.