Nissan North America is partnering once again with Sony Computer Entertainment America and Polyphony Digital for a second season of the popular non-scripted TV series GT Academy in the U.S. The series will highlight the latest blending of virtual racing and reality. GT Academy challenges gamers and racing fans to compete in a series of online time trials in pre-selected Nissan vehicles for a shot at becoming a real racing driver. Last year’s competition drew over 53,000 competitors nationwide, with 30-year old Californian Bryan Heitkotter emerging as the winner. Heitkotter has gone on to compete in races for Nissan in the United States, Middle East and Europe. Heikotter talks about the experience in the exclusive video interview below.

With the heat building for the official kickoff of the summer movie season – Marvel’s The Avengers – gamers won’t have a console game to play. But Marvel Entertainment and Disney Interactive Media Group (DIMG) have debuted a social game based on Marvel’s iconic characters, Marvel: Avengers Alliance. Developed by Playdom, Marvel: Avengers Alliance features a tactical turn-based combat experience with dozens of familiar Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains. Though it's not based on the franchise movie, it is better than nothing.

Multiplatinum and Grammy Award winning artist, LL COOL J, today announced the launch of the first phase of the Boomdizzle’s Virtual Recording Studio. Boomdizzle was co-founded by LL COOL J, who also currently stars in the hit CBS show “NCIS: Los Angeles,” in 2008 as an online community designed for all aspiring artists of all kinds to record, share, and remix original music and video content.

Chinese online game company ZQGame has partnered with Los Angeles-based SEE Games to create, co-invest in, and publish an original MMO (massively multiplayer online) game based on Sony Pictures Entertainment’s 2012 summer event film, Total Recall (2012), starring Colin Farrell. The deal represents the first time a Hollywood entity has partnered with a game company from China to develop an online game in-full.

Adrenaline Amusements has partnered with Epic Games’ Chair Entertainment for the new Infinity Blade FX coin-up version of the blockbuster Apple iOS video game Infinity Blade. The 46-inch arcade game will make its retail debut on October 28 at 57 Dave & Buster’s nationwide. Chair Entertainment Co-Founder Donald Mustard demonstrates the new arcade machine in the video below.

French game publisher Ubisoft is further extending its reach into Hollywood entertainment. The game maker is producing its first animated TV series, which is based on its bestselling “Rabbids” videogame franchise. Nickelodeon has secured global broadcast rights for the series, excluding France. “Rabbids” will debut in 2013 as 26 half-hour episodes across Nickelodeons global channels. 

Fitness is about to become a lot more fun with Striiv. The Silicon Valley-based start-up revealed its first product which takes active gaming outside of the living room to turn everyday activities into fitness opportunities.  A sleek, portable fitness device, Striiv motivates activity throughout the day via games, personal goals, and donation opportunities -- all powered by physical activity. The $99 device hits retail shelves in mid-October.

Sony Online Entertainment has worked closely with Dave Filoni, supervising director of the Cartoon Network computer animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, to create the exclusive storyline in the Mission on Iceberg Three summer campaign for Clone Wars Adventures. Filoni was at San Diego Comic-Con 2011 to talk about season four of the TV show and the new online video game adventure in this exclusive video interview.

While the action goes on this weekend at the British Open being held at the Royal St George's Golf Club on the southern coast of England, online golfing fans everywhere can experience and play a virtual version of the famous tournament and host golf course online at World Golf Tour (WGT). That's because the Wold Golf Tour has partnered with the R&A (Royal & Ancients) to recreate the Royal St George’s Golf Club, the host course of the 2011 British Open, and create a virtual version of the British Open as a high-definition virtual reality game online. Anyone can compete in the Virtual British Open and play Royal St George’s online for free by visiting www.opengolf.com or www.wgt.com. GamerLive.TV went behind the scenes to get an exclusive look at how the World Golf Tour made the virtual version of the Britiish Open golf course in this video.

Now golf fans can get involved in international competition without even leaving their homes. World Golf Tour (WGT), the most realistic sports game on the web, is running the Virtual British Open, an annual online golf tournament. The R&A (Royal & Ancients) partnered with World Golf Tour to recreate Royal St George’s Golf Club, the host course of the 2011 Open Championship, as a high-definition virtual reality game. Anyone can compete in the Virtual Open and play Royal St George’s online for free by visiting www.opengolf.com or www.wgt.com.

AT&T has signed a deal with social games developer Zynga, designed to bring the very latest in mobile social gaming to AT&T’s millions of wireless customers. Popular games such as Words with Friends and Zynga Poker, plus customized content, will be featured for download on AT&T’s shelf in Android Market later this year. The agreement is the first of its kind between Zynga and a U.S. wireless carrier.

With the future of video games looking more and more like it’s in the cloud, traditional retailers like Gamestop are expanding into the digital realm with games. The world’s largest retailer of video games is offering gamers Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Annihilation DLC as an exclusive pre-order at U.S. GameStop locations. Annihilation is the third downloadable content release for Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops, the most successful video game franchise in the world.