Electronic Arts 
is bringing the classic game Theme Park back from the dead, but the price of admission may make most players choke.
The new take on the old management simulation will be a free download for owners of iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. But if you want to build some of the better attractions in your park, it could cost you more than the original version did at retail back in 1994.
Director Gore 
Verbinski is getting into the video game industry.
The helmer of such pictures as The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Rango has announced a deal with Microsoft, where his Blind Wink transmedia company will produce original interactive content for Microsoft platforms, including the Xbox 360, Windows Phone and Windows-based PCs.
[Though Zynga’s upcoming 
$1 billion IPO is lower than expected based on previous reports and market cap valuations, Gamasutra’s Chris Morris explains why the company is playing it smart with its low share prices.]
Five months after announcing its intention to go public, Zynga is about to make the splash, but it’s doing so with a much smaller splash than most people expected back in July.
Back then, when the market was teasing investors with a head fake of stability, analysts, and the financial media (along with most of the gaming industry) expected the company to raise between $1.5 and $2 billion – with an accompanying market cap of $15 billion and $20 billion. But when shares begin trading Dec. 16, the company will only seek $1 billion – and have a maximum market cap of $7 billion.
For years, Microsoft 
has used the Xbox 360 as a Trojan horse to get into people’s living rooms. Now, it’s launching a full-scale attack on your other entertainment devices.
Starting Monday, Xbox 360 owners are being prompted to download a free new user interface for the console, which expands Kinect voice control, introduces a broad entertainment search option and adds a slew of new content options that have nothing to do with gaming.
As the end of the year 
draws close, the inevitable year in review pieces are starting to roll out. The first, from Twitter, however, shows what the hot shows, music, movies and actors were with the Twitterati – and it holds some pretty big surprises.
While it’s not exactly shocking that Charlie Sheen led the actor category, Elizabeth Taylor was the most talked about actress (and Raven Symone topped both Natalie Portman and Jennifer Lopez). And of all the shows on TV, ABC Family’s “Pretty Little Liars” was the hottest topic.
FarmVille has a date with Wall Street on December 16. And we’re all invited.
Four months after signaling its intention to go public, Zynga has finally updated the paperwork to let investors know the date is imminent, with shares set to begin trading in two weeks. But despite speculation about Zynga instantly becoming the highest valued company in the gaming industry, that’s likely not going to be in the cards.
The video game 
world has never really been represented well at Robert Redford’s popular Sundance Film Festival, but that’s set to change this year.
Indie Game: The Movie has been selected to screen at the event. The film will show in the festival’s World Documentary category, which only approved 12 submissions this year.
For pros in 
the scripted entertainment world, the jump to making an interactive app can be a jarring one. Confusion about appropriate budgets and how to tailor the content can result in something that does more harm than good to the property it’s trying to promote.
If you’re tapped with overseeing or signing off on an app for an entertainment property (or even just giving notes on one), there are a few basic elements you should be looking for to ensuring its success.
Spending on consumer 
electronics will account for one-third of all holiday gift-shopping this year, according to the Consumer Electronics Assn. — but finding the right gift for the gadget-hound on your list won’t be easy, or cheap. While overall electronics prices are falling in some categories, like TVs, items on the cutting edge tend to carry a premium pricetag. They’re also often hard to get since they may not be carried by big-box stores and thus not be on the radar of most shoppers.
To help out, Variety has put together its annual list of items that are bound to please even the most discriminating techie.
If your family 
hasn’t made the jump to the current console generation yet, there are plenty of incentives to do so this holiday season. Prices on all of the major gaming systems are low and you don’t have to look too far to find them.
Showing up late to the game might save you cash, but it comes with a number of disadvantages, too. The peripheral market is so crowded these days that it’s hard to figure out what’s essential and what’s the retail equivalent of setting your wallet on fire. Here are a few add-ons and extras you can safely bypass.
Chris Morris: Journalist 