In a move that may seem shocking to some, Peter Moore, the outspoken Microsoft executive, has left his job at the Xbox manufacturer to take a post as President of EA Sports. As a result, he will move to EA’s Redwood Shores headquarters and will begin his new job in September.\

Moore is being replaced by Don Mattrick (pictured), a longtime EA executive who has worked as an external advisor to Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division for the past six months. He will take his position at Microsoft starting July 30.

“The people at EA Sports have created one of the strongest brands in the entertainment industry and John Riccitiello is building an organization which will extend the company’s leadership to new platforms and new audiences all over the world,” said Moore in today’s announcement. “I couldn’t be more excited about joining EA and moving my family back to the San Francisco Bay Area.”

“While Peter will certainly be missed, we are delighted to have one of the industry’s most talented and passionate veterans on board to lead the business,” said Microsft Entertainment and Devices president Robbie Bach. “Don is well-known and respected throughout the industry for his deep knowledge, technical expertise and management savvy.”

Moore’s previous digs includes being the president and COO of Sega of America, where he oversaw the launch of the Dreamcast in 1999. Interestingly, this will be his highest paying job, as this SEC filing reveals. He will be paid $550,000 a year, with a potential annual bonus of $412,500; there is also a one-time signing bonus of $1.5 million. There are other perks, too, in the form of stock options and restricted shares.

At a Japanese press event, Sony announced that the redesigned PSP will launch in the region on September 20 at the price of 19,800 yen (around $160 US). It also announced additional new colors for the console - these light-colored models are being called “Bloom Series” and will come in rose pink, lavender purple and Felicia blue shades.

The company also announced a TV tuner (pictured) which users can attach to the new PSP via the USB port. The portable 17gm add-on will allow users to watch TV on their PSP thanks to the 1seg technology, which is only available in Japan. It will be released around the same time as the new PSP and will retail for 6,980 yen (around $60 US).

Japan will be graced by more PSP, too: a limited-edition Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII bundle. It will include special silver PSP, the game, and a keychain shaped like the sword of the game’s hero. The bundle will be released on the same day as the game - September 13 - and will be limited to 77,777 units selling for 25,890 yen (around $210 US) a piece.

Showing that he is indeed insane and not suitable for directing films, Uwe Boll went Postal on the New York Post, according to this GameDaily Biz report. Apparently, a reporter from the newspaper showed a trailer for his upcoming movie to 9/11 victims; guess what their reactions were. Boll went furious because it suggested that the movie be censored or banned from theaters.

Following this, Boll went on to launch a website which was taken down due to threat of legal action from the New York Post. However, it is still up for your viewing pleasure, with Boll saying defiantly: “If they sue me, I don’t think they’ll win.”

Boll said he received a call from New York Post reporter Jill Culora in April about the trailer for the $20 million Postal movie, which includes a plane crashing into a building. Rather than watching the movie, the director said the reporter went to 9/11 victims with the clip and asked for reactions.

“They took the clip and showed it out of context,” said Boll. “The scene is a parody of fundamentalist fanatics. We don’t make fun of the victims of 9/11.”

Boll takes issue with the New York Post writing that Postal is a movie that should not be allowed to play in theaters.

“It’s not acceptable that a rag corner newspaper is trying to censor a comedy without even taking the time to watch it,” said Boll.

Boll did offer one solution to the current situation. He said he’s open to settling this dispute in the boxing ring. Last fall, during the Postal shoot, Boll fought four of his critics in a pay-per-view online boxing match in Vancouver. One of those critics is now interning on the set of Far Cry.

Boxing matches aside, the Postal movie will open this October as a limited release. The director is also working on Far Cry and In The Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, as well as BloodRayne II, which has gone straight-to-DVD in North America.

Japanese developer and publisher Nippon Ichi Software has announced Disgaea 3 for the PS3. Scheduled to hit Japan this Winter, the game is sure to follow in the steps of its predecessors, though no information was made available except for these two screenshots.

The latest publisher to join the Steam train is THQ who has announced that some of its titles are already available on the service. These games include Company of Heroes, Titan Quest, Full Spectrum Warrior and more. Each have a 10% discount on its standard price until July 24.

The publisher also plans on making available other games from its stable, with STALKER and Warhammer 40,000 on the way.

“In the past couple years, THQ has established itself as one of today’s premier PC publishers,” said Valve co-founder Gabe Newell. “It’s great to finally be working together with THQ and its studio system and offer this award-winning line up to Steam’s growing audience, which represents over 13 million accounts.”

In an odd case of violence related to video games, a 13-year-old boy stabbed his brother with a steak knife after the 16-year-old refused to turn over the controller (thanks Jeremy Steele). The older brother died of a single fatal stab wound to the chest; his brother Jahmir Ricks was charged with first-degree murder.

When police arrived, Jahmir simply told them, “I just stabbed my brother.” He is being held without bail and faces charges of third-degree murder, assault and other crimes. Apparently, police believe this was a result of a rule in the house: “hand over the controller when you lose” which the older brother wasn’t following.

A couple of new high-resolution (1080p) screenshots from SKATE, an upcoming Tony Hawk killer from EA.

Starting tomorrow, you can enjoy the prerelease bonus pack for Guild Wars: Eye of the North, the first expansion for the free-to-play MMORPG. The bonus pack includes exclusive in-game items and access to the Sneak Peek Weekend set for later this Summer.

The bonus will be available from retailers across North America and Europe as well as the NCSoft store and through the official Guild War online store.

Players who pre-order Guild Wars: Eye of the North will gain access to the Sneak Peek Weekend, August 24-26, 2007, where they will be able to log into the game for a first look at Eye of the North. Players will be able to explore the Far Shiverpeaks region of the world, home of the barbaric Norn. Everything players obtain during the Sneak Peek Weekend, including items, XP, Heroes, and loot, will be permanent and available when the expansion goes live.

The Guild Wars: Eye of the North prerelease bonus pack also comes with exclusive weapons, including the Glacial Blade, the Hourglass Staff, and the Darksteel Longbow. These new weapons are based on the winning designs from the Guild Wars Design-a-Weapon Contest held earlier this year. In addition, the prerelease bonus pack includes a Guild Wars Trilogy Trial DVD that provides access to all three of the Guild Wars campaigns for a special trial promotion lasting 10 hours or 14 days, whichever comes first*.

Eye of the North is set for release on August 31.

Ghostlight sent out word that they are publishing Decatheletes, a sports simulation, on DS and PSP this Spring. The game is being developed by The Code Monkeys whose past credits include Shrek Treasure Hunt and Charlotte’s Web.

Decatheletes will feature ten competitive events in both single-player and multiplayer modes, with the latter supporting up to four players. There will be career development, with players being rewarded medals, unlocks and bonus events. It will also feature full character customization, allowing players to recreate their sporting heroes by selecting facial features, skin type and body stature.

EA and Vancouver Film School (VFS) jointly announced Sasha Dunfee as the recipient of the $25,000 EA Game Design Scholarship to attend the institute. The largest private post-secondary entertainment arts institution, VFS asked scholarship applicants to submit videogame concept proposals this past January. Eighteen-year old Dunfee impressed the scholarship committee with his maturity and creativity, as well as his technical talent.

Dunfee, who was born in Thailand and graduated from Centennial Secondary School in Coquitlam, has had a lifelong interest in design, but is fairly new to working with games. “I only really got into video game design about three years ago with the release of Half-Life 2,” he says. “I find level design to be a fantastic and rewarding way of creative expression. This is a great opportunity for me, and it is an honour to have been selected out of what I am sure was a very talented entry pool.”

The Game Design program at VFS began its 2007 session at the end of June. Dunfee and his classmates have had the privilege of being taught by industry professionals, helping to foster the growth of some of the best new gaming talent in the industry.

Benjamin Colling, Director of Admissions & Student Services at VFS, says, “Having EA sponsor one of our incoming Game Design students presents an opportunity that is difficult to achieve for many Canadians. To have this opportunity go to a young, local recent high school graduate excites VFS, and it allows EA to make a meaningful investment in the youth of today that can literally change the life of the recipient.”

Graduates of the one-year program Game Design program at VFS are employed at nearly every major gaming studio in Canada, including scholarship sponsor, EA.

Dunfee is blogging about his experience at VFS on his personal blog.

D3Publisher has announced that it will release Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords for Wii, PS2 and PC this Fall along with a mobile version in early 2008. The best-selling puzzle game for DS will also be available in the coming months on Xbox Live Arcade as previously announced.

“The lightning quick acceptance and praise we received from fans and press for the fun, deeply immersive gaming experience we created by mixing RPG elements with puzzle gameplay were a dream come true when Puzzle Quest launched,” said Steve Fawkner, lead designer and chief executive officer of Infinite Interactive Pty. Ltd., creators of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. “The gaming community has offered such warm support and we are elated to open the game up to more fans by offering new ways to play.”

The PSP, PS2 and Wii versions are being developed by Vicious Cycle Software, while the PC version is being handled by THQ’s ValuSoft and Wireless divisions.

Through a brief note, German developer Twintime Software announced Odessa Twins, an action-adventure game in development for PC and consoles. It is described as having “innovative interfaces and an extraordinary plot” and that it will surprise with its “groundbreaking development.”

This mystery-adventure is in development for release early next year. Further information is expected soon.

Cryptic Studios has announced that they have hired a new Design Writer, John Layman, for working on the Marvel Universe Online, a MMO currently in development for PC and Xbox 360.

Layman is a twelve-year veteran of the comics industry, having worked on prominent series like Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness, House of M: Fantastic Four, Gambit and many others. He has also worked on several games, including Metroid: Hunters (DS) and Marvel Trading Card Game (PSP).

No information on the MMO itself was disclosed.

Some new screenshots from the PC version of Clive Barker’s Jericho were released, showing off the player’s teammates as well as some monsters in the game. One of these screenshots is very graphic, so don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.

Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi is back at it again, cooking up kooky ideas for great games. His next creation is Nobi Nobi Boy, a PS3 game that apparently features a worm-like character who can twist around himself and other objects.

That’s about the only information released on the project so far. More information is expected soon.