Halo co-creator Alex Seropian has joined Disney Interactive Studios as "vice president of creative," a new role that will see the outspoken industry veteran "overseeing creative development across Disney Interactive Studios' portfolio of video games."

In addition, Disney will acquire Chicago-based Stubbs the Zombie and Hail to the Chimp developer Wideload Games, which Seropian formed after leaving Halo developer Bungie. Prior to joining Disney, Seropian had been serving as CEO of Wideload.

"At Wideload, we've conscientiously built a forward-looking approach to game development that borrows many techniques from the film industry. Now, Wideload will be a part of one of the largest, most respected entertainment companies... Read more

Warren Spector's rumored Disney-meets-steampunk project "Epic Mickey" is rumor no more, as confirmation and art have emerged by way of online resumes and portfolios.

Coming from the Disney-owned Junction Point Studios, Epic Mickey is being developed for the Wii, going by the resume of current Junction artist Tony Pulham. The resume has since been updated to remove the reference, with "undisclosed title" replacing Pulham's previous mention of "Epic Mickey (Wii Video Game)."

Little else is known of the project--rumors suggest it's a platformer--with Spector having previously cautioned that upon its revelation, fans would vilify the Deus Ex and System Shock veteran, accuse him of selling out, and act "like the world... Read more

The folks over at Black Rock Studio, responsible for last year's trick-based ATV racer Pure, and studio owner Disney Interactive today revealed the developer's next project.

Titled Split/Second, it's an explosion-filled city racer coming to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in early 2010. The premise involves a "hyper-competitive reality show" in which players trigger explosions to run their competitors off-road and create new routes.

"Action racing has captured the imagination of video game fans worldwide and we're going to redefine that experience with Split/Second," promised director Nick Baynes.

Disney Interactive Studios, which just laid off some staff, is readying a game based on the upcoming Tron film sequel TR2N, according to Variety's unnamed sources.

The publisher is apparently "talking to developers" about the game, implying that it could be developed by an external studio, a la Monolith Productions' 2003 shooter Tron 2.0.

No other details are known about the game, though Variety believes it will arrive simultaneously with the neon-heavy computer thriller, which stars Tron veteran Jeff Bridges alongside newcomers Garret Hedlund and Olivia Wild, in 2011.

Publisher Disney Interactive today confirmed that just under 30 employees have been let go from Turok developer Propaganda Games.

Furthermore, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian developer Fall Line Studio will be rolled into Avalanche studio. The consolidation will be responsible for less than 20 layoffs, according to a GameDaily report.

Sources have reportedly told Kotaku that the Propaganda layoffs coincided with the cancellation of a sequel to the studio's shooter Turok.

Disney Interactive spokeswoman Angela Emery did not comment on the rumor, but noted that Propaganda is still a two-team studio with two unannounced projects in the works.

Riding the ever-increasing surge of music games, Disney Interactive Studios today announced Ultimate Band for Wii and Nintendo DS.

Unlike Guitar Hero or Rock Band, the game allows players to embark on the road to rock fame without specialized controllers--"The Wii Remote and DS stylus are the only tools they'll need to reach rock stardom in Ultimate Band," said DIS marketing executive Craig Relyea.

Focused around character customization, the Wii edition will allow players to fill in as a drummer, bassist, guitarist, or band front man with the motion-sensitive Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The DS version nixes character customization and the front man role in favor of rhythm guitar, and will allow users to mix their own tracks as well as play online.

Though no specific tracks were listed in today's announcement, Disney promises it is working alongside music consulting firm Radial Music to deliver "some of the very biggest names in rock, alternative, popular, emo and indie rock music, allowing band mates to play sets from a broad selection of current hits and all-time rock favorites."

Developed by Fall Line Studio, Ultimate Band arrives this holiday season.

Disney Interactive Studios today announced Pure (PC, PS3, X360), an extreme sports off-road racer developed by Brighton-based Black Rock Studio. Formerly known as Climax Racing, Black Rock's past projects include several ATV Offroad Fury titles on PlayStation 2 and PSP.

According to Disney, the game will mesh off-road racing and freestyle trick-based gameplay with "vertigo-inducing massive aerial jumps and spectacular real-world locations all over the globe."

Resembling just about every other extreme off-road racer available, Pure hits this fall.

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