Tired of Apple hogging of the spotlight 
in mobile gaming, Sony has unveiled the world’s first cell phone that will play PlayStation games.
The Xperia Play, made by the company’s Sony Ericsson division, will launch this March. The Android-powered phone will come with several titles preloaded (including The Sims 3) and up to 50 games from the system’s top franchises available for download.
The worst kept secret in the cell phone world has finally been formally 
acknowledged. Sony Ericsson has taken the wraps off of the Xperia Play, better known as the PlayStation Phone.
Verizon will be the sole distributor of the device starting this March. The phone will be supported by a catalog of up to 50 games, with four titles preloaded onto the device.
While Wednesday’s announcement that 
Activision-Blizzard was pulling the plug on “Guitar Hero” might have turned heads in the gaming world, it was the company’s other announcement that might have bigger repercussions for investors.
As it cancelled games and the long-standing franchise, the publisher also announced plans to double down in the digital space and increase its focus on the lucrative “Call of Duty” franchise, two steps analysts say could significantly raise the company’s margins.
With gigantic franchises like Call of Duty and 
World of Warcraft in its back pocket (which apparently has a Guitar Hero-sized hole in it), Activision has a firm grip on the adult audience. Now it’s looking to add children to its customer base.
The company has announced a reboot of the long-running Spyro the Dragon franchise, and aims to combine the video game world with physical toys.
It’s not just awards season in Hollywood. The video 
game world is honoring its best with a series of ceremonies in the first quarter as well.
Last night, the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards took place at the ongoing DICE Summit in Las Vegas, with “Mass Effect 2” walking away with the year’s top honors. The title won “Game of the Year” from the organization – while Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, founders of the studio behind the game, were inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame.
Lucasfilm’s chief technical officer has given up 
Hollywood for Silicon Valley.
Richard Kerris has taken over as head of worldwide developer relations at Hewlett-Packard, where he will be in charge of boosting developer interest in creating applications and programs for the company’s webOS platform — which powers the newly announced TouchPad and Pre 3, among other systems.
[Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris analyzes the sudden 
dissolution of the Guitar Hero music franchise at Activision, with input from multiple financial sector analysts, who discuss how the company has “pretty much driven the franchise into the ground”.]
Players might still be reeling from the news that Activision is pulling the plug on Guitar Hero, but Wall Street is giving the fat lady a standing ovation.
It’s no secret that the franchise has been in considerable decline for the past couple of years. And while it seems like it was only yesterday that the games were pulling in $1 billion, analysts say the publisher made a hard choice that will likely serve it well over the long term.
Paramount Pictures has teamed with 
browser-based game developer Funtactix to create an online game based upon its upcoming animated feature “Rango.”
The game, dubbed “Rango: The World” will bow alongside the film on March 4 and allow fans to create an avatar and explore the movie’s world with friends and strangers. Players will interact with characters from the film – minus Johnny Depp’s titular chameleon – and complete quests and play minigames.
While it’s one of the larger players in 
the mobile gaming space, Apple’s success when it comes to video games has basically been a happy accident.
New online reports, however, show that Steve Jobs and company might be ready to finally put gaming on the front burner — and that Apple TV could be the weapon of choice.
Trivia games often run the risk of being 
run-of-the-mill. That is anything but the case with You Don’t Know Jack. The game, which is a revival of a series that was popular in the mid-1990s, perfectly blends sarcasm and quirky trivia. And it’s something that will delight both old fans of the series as well as those just being exposed to it. The game is a throwback to the simpler days of gaming, while still remaining relevant to today’s player. And while many titles try (and fail) to be funny, YDKJ is one of those few games that will have you laughing regularly — and loudly. And if you’re not careful, you just might learn something in the process. It’s a must have for even the most casual fans of trivia and party games.
Chris Morris: Journalist 