Sound Source Interactive of Calabasas, California started branching out last month beyond its staple PC fare into producing titles for Sony PlayStation and Color Game Boy. The interactive gameco is consequently signing up new distributors to handle its expansion into the console market, including a new North American distribution deal with Minnesota-based Navarre. New titles for PlayStation and CD-ROM that are scheduled to ship in September include Casper, Friends Around the World and The Land Before Time, Return to the Great Valley. Both are geared to the four to eight set and will retail for between US$24.95 and US$29.95.

Montreal-based Ubi Soft has acquired North Carolina-based Sinister Games for an undisclosed amount. The gameco is the

developer behind Dukes of Hazzard-Racing for Home for Sony PlayStation, published by SouthPeak Interactive and distributed by Ubi Soft in Europe. (The title sold 500,000 units State-side in the first three months after its December ’99 release). A PC version of the

title will launch in the fall. Ubi Soft is mining the sports theme in other upcoming titles that include Surf Riders for Sony PlayStation. The wave-catching game is geared to ages 15 and up and should street in the summer for between US$33 and US$37. Carl Lewis Athletics 2000 pits gamers against each other in track events for between US$26 to US$30. That title, which targets six- to 15-year-olds, is slated to ship in September for Color Game Boy.

Munich-based RTV Family Entertainment has inked a deal in the US$2.5-million range with new media company Phenomedia to develop Phenomedia’s original character Moorhuhn into CD-ROM titles. The grouse was developed for a Johnny Walker promo; its first iteration was a virtual hunt game installed on JW employee lap tops, and was then launched on the Johnny Walker Web site in 1998. The grouse’s popularity in Germany has grown and skewed to a younger crowd of kids as young as 12, despite its boozy origins. RIM, RTV’s sister company and interactive arm, will develop three Moorhuhn CD-ROM titles with Phenomedia. The first, called The Original Grouse Hunt, was released last month for roughly US$9. The hunting game will be followed by new titles in August and October for the same price. A Color Game Boy version of Grouse-the Game is also planned for an August release for an undisclosed SRP, to be followed by the Sony PlayStation version in November. All titles will be available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.