Sonic Lost World (Credit: Sega)

By Derrick J. Lang, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sonic the Hedgehog is rolling with Nintendo.

Sega says it will exclusively release the next three games starring the popular blue critter on Nintendo platforms. The first title will be called "Sonic Lost World" and is set for release on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS later this year.

Even the DC universe's mightiest superheroes couldn't fight off yet another month of poor retail sales for the video game industry.

(Credit: Warner Bros. Interactive)

April was the latest in a long string of sales disappointments, with brick and mortar sales of video game software falling 17 percent as compared to the same period in 2012. Hardware sales, predictably, were drastically lower as consumers start to save their money for the looming next-generation systems.

Sales of game consoles, in fact, were down 42 percent to $109.5 million, while game sales dipped to $254.3 million. Overall, the industry was down 25 percent compared to a year ago.

Electronic Arts was the first company to institute the online pass. It was, at the time, a revolutionary idea that allowed the publisher to make money from used game sales.

Now, it's walking away from the practice -- and players are celebrating.

By Piya Sinha-Roy, Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The popular video game "Angry Birds" is jumping off smart phones and onto the big screen in a new animated 3D film due to be released in 2016, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced on Wednesday.

Credit: Rovio Entertainment

The film will be a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Finnish game-maker Rovio, and follows the game's foray into television with an animated weekly series that began in March this year.

"Sony impressed us with their great attitude, determination, and professionalism. They convinced us that we have found the right partners and team to help us market and distribute our first motion picture," Rovio Entertainment CEO Mikael Hed said in a statement.

Credit: Polyphony/Sony

It's been three years since Gran Turismo last revved its engine - but it's finally ready to pull up to the starting line once again.

The hit driving franchise will release its latest installment - Gran Turismo 6 - later this year, Sony and developer Polyphony Digital announced today. Even better, players will be able to get a taste this July, with a playable demo.

Gran Turismo is the best-selling PlayStation franchise around - with fans buying more than 70 million copies to date. And Gran Turismo 6 is looking to be the biggest installment yet.

Credit: Sony

Julian Knight is one of the most notorious criminals in Australia. And he might be about to become the country's most dangerous gamer.

In documents filed with Australia's Supreme Court (via Kotaku), Knight is suing the prison system because no one will let him have a PlayStation. Knight says he is being treated unfairly by prison officials with no rational justification.

Caption: Chess champ Gata Kamsky, right (Credit: US Chess Championships)

If you think chess isn't a spectator sport, you obviously haven't been watching the right matches.

Gata Kamsky retained his title of U.S. chess champion Monday night in a marathon game that proved so challenging and suspenseful, it went into the chess equivalent of extra innings.

Dueling grandmasters Kamsky and his opponent Alejandro Ramirez battled one another for more than three hours, making over 150 moves each. After two head-to-head rounds, they were tied.

And that's when it got cool.

BioShock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia (Credit: Plaid Hat Games)

Times are tough for video game publishers.

Sales are down. Way down. Even buoyed by a couple of high profile, big-selling hits, March’s numbers were down a full 10% compared to last year. The news is full of closings, layoffs, and downsizing; the year’s already seen the piecemeal sale of one once-proud major publisher. Even Electronic Arts, home to powerhouse brands like The Sims and Madden, has been wracked by a wave of layoffs that have left a reported 1,000 jobless -- and rumor has it more are coming.

The reasons are many -- the floundering economy and the long wait for the next generation of consoles certainly haven’t helped -- but whatever the cause, it’s seen publishers turning to other revenue opportunities.

In recent years that’s meant imaginative toy tie-ins, like Activision’s lucrative Skylanders franchise, or perhaps big-budget movies like 2015’s planned Ratchet & Clank. But one of the year’s most interesting juxtapositions of traditional entertainment and the world of video games isn’t either of those -- it’s a board game.