Round Up: Open Season Becomes Game, Movie Downloads On Xbox Live, Alone In The Dark PC Bound

Today's round-up includes news of Ubisoft helming the video game adaptation of Open Season, a partnership between Paramount and Microsoft to bring movie-related downloads to Xbox Live, and the next Alone in the Dark title in development for the PC and the Xbox 360, as well as the latest posts from GameSetWatch and Serious Games Source, product news, and Gamasutra job postings. - Ubisoft has announced that a video game adaptation of Sony Pictures Animation's Open Season is in development at Ubisoft's Montreal studio. The game will ship in September to coincide with the movie's release. "We have been working hand-in-hand with Ubisoft's team to create a game that captures all the fun of Open Season," said Mark Caplan, executive director, interactive at Sony Pictures Consumer Products. "Sony Pictures' leadership in digital entertainment coupled with Ubisoft's award-winning development team is a great partnership that brings innovation to both the film and video game businesses." - Paramount Pictures has partnered with Microsoft for what is called the Xbox Movie Showcase which will launch on April 12, 2006. This cross-platform marketing program will feature free downloadable HD content from the movies Mission: Impossible III and Nacho Libre, and will include trailers, theme packs, and Gamertag icons pulled from these two upcoming films. As part of this promotion, stars from the movies will also participate in Microsoft's ongoing Game with Fame series of Xbox Live events, which allow players to compete against celebrities in games over the online service. - Atari has announced that survival horror title Alone in the Dark, announced in October 2005 for the Xbox 360, is also in development for the PC for release this fall. The sequel, simply titled Alone in the Dark, is the latest in the franchise that began in 1992, and was one of the first titles to feature a game world and characters completely composed of polygons. The game is in development at Eden Games, which is also working on Test Drive Unlimited for Atari for the Xbox 360 and PC in addition to this title. - The latest updates on Gamasutra sister weblog GameSetWatch include a rare chat with Nintendo's R&D1 team, a column on shooter games where you don't shoot, and new info on gamers' dirty minds. In addition, recent updates on new site Serious Games Source include a partnership between IBM and CSTA to teach high schoolers about technology using games. - Also updated today: product news, featuring the release of the SDK for Firaxis' Civilization IV, as well as the latest Gamasutra job postings, featuring openings from Blizzard, Edge of Reality, SkillJam Technologies, and the University of Southern California.