World of Warcraft fans will converge at the Irvine Spectrum Center for the launch of Mists of Pandaria, the latest expansion for the bestselling massively multiplayer online (MMO) game. The countdown is on for the September 25 midnight launch. The developer talks about what’s in store for fans with this new game in the exclusive video interview below.

Electronic Arts and NCAA Football are continuing their annual fellowship program that debuted last year, which provides former football student-athletes an opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of the games industry as well as the business of sports. Last year’s fellow, Clint Oldenburg, is now a full-time employee at EA Tiburon and he’s in charge of player ratings for Madden NFL 13. He talks about the fellowship in the exclusive video below.

OnLive has broken its silence amidst a flurry of layoffs and closure rumors. As of August 17th, all of its assets were acquired by a newly formed company that will continue to operate under the OnLive name. The OnLive Game and Desktop Services, all OnLive Devices and Apps, as well as all OnLive partnerships, are expected to continue without interruption and all customer purchases will remain intact; users are not expected to notice any change whatsoever. While Gaikai was purchased by Sony, Steve Pearlman reportedly turned away multiple suitors over the years until this action was required.

Epic Games has officially opened Impossible Studios, a company comprised of highly skilled, senior-level game development talent that formerly worked at Curt Schilling’s Big Huge Games. Based in Hunt Valley, Maryland, Impossible is the latest addition to Epic’s network, which includes corporate headquarters in Cary, North Carolina; ChAIR Entertainment in Salt Lake City, Utah; People Can Fly in Warsaw, Poland; Epic Games Korea in Seoul, Korea; and Epic Games Japan in Yokohama, Japan. Epic Games Design Director Cliff Bleszinski talks about Epic's newest game, Gears of War Judgment, in the exclusive video interview below.

Game development studio Arkadium has further delved into social gaming research with a new study designed to shed light on the behavioral characteristics of Facebook purchasers. The research uncovered some interesting data that provides an insightful look at the items Facebook gamers are likely to purchase, the genre of games that are most likely to monetize, and a greater understanding of the profile of the monetizing social gamer. Zynga has had success expanding this social gamer, which is quickly growing and attracting new game developers like the video interview below.

Tony Hawk is still skating. The former pro skater no longer competes in the X-Games or other big events, but he still tours and skates daily – often with his kids. Hawk has a new game out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the digital download Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD from Activision and developer Robomodo. Hawk looks back at the franchise and looks at how video games have helped propel the extreme sport into the mainstream in this exclusive interview.

A new video game design lab will research and develop compelling video games that engage students in innovative ways and provide data on students’ comprehension of the core skills deemed critical by states for college and the 21st century workplace. The Games, Learning and Assessment Lab (GLASS Lab), is managed by the Institute of Play, a non-profit video game, learning and research organization, and developed with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Electronic Arts (EA) and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). GLASS Lab will be based at EA’s global headquarters in Redwood City, CA. 

Bigpoint has unveiled its latest free-to-play (F2P) browser-based title, Universal Monsters Online.  The game, which Bigpoint is developing in collaboration with Universal Partnerships & Licensing, will enable players to experience Universal’s iconic cast of classic monsters in a highly-competitive Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) setting.

Game journalism isn't as easy as it looks.  Oh, sure, you think we just sit around all day and play Max Payne 3, but the truth is, playing is just part of the job.  Writing is a huge, fundamental part of it, as you have to be able to express yourself in the right manner, not just go "This is cool because blah blah."  You need to FEEL right about the job.  One step to getting an idea of what video game journalism is all about is getting the book Critical Path: How To Review Videogames For a Living, written by Dan Amrich.  Dan, also known as One of Swords on Twitter (@oneofswords), worked in journalism for the longest time before taking a job working with Activision.  Still, he remembers his days fondly enough, as he put his experience into words to help guide young minds of tomorrow down the RIGHT path of journalism.  You know, the one that doesn't involve "blah blah".

The Games for Health Project has announced the keynote speakers for the eighth annual Games for Health Conference, the nation’s largest conference dedicated to videogames, health, and health care, which will be held June 12-14 in Boston. The Games for Health Conference brings together hundreds of researchers, health professionals, and game developers to discuss a wide range of topics involving health and videogames. 

Gaming legend Louis Castle, co-founder of Westwood Studios, is the man behind one of the most successful video game companies in the history of the industry. Castle , has donated 500 objects chronicling the company’s innovative history to the International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG), which is located in The Strong museum in Rochester, New York.

EA Sports has partnered with the Leo Messi Foundation, a popular street football field in Barcelona will be brought back to life through a complete upgrade and refurbishment in 2012. The field, located in the Bon Pastor neighborhood of Barcelona and in disrepair for several years, will be outfitted with a new state-of-the-art surface, side boards, goals and much more, creating a high-quality and safe environment for the youth of Barcelona to enjoy. Messi serves as the cover athlete and ambassador for the FIFA games and this initiative was timed with the launch of the new FIFA Street game.