Ghostbusters: The Game may not have a publisher, and its fate may not be clear, but that didn't stop the title from being advertised on lanyards at PAX. Variety spoke to Penny Arcade's business guy, Robert Khoo, who said that Sierra signed to do the lanyards in January and sent them in June. It wasn't even until two weeks before the show that Sierra, the abused and neglected stepchild of Activision Blizzard, "pulled out of displaying Ghostbusters."

Khoo explains that there wasn't enough time to get a new lanyard provider, so even though Actilizzard isn't going to benefit from the promotion, they still paid the bill.

It seems Activision Blizzard is still uncertain as to who it's gonna call -- to publish ectoplasmic epic Ghostbusters. Speaking to MCV, the newly melded megapublisher was still hesitant to divulge the "absolutely not cancelled" game's fate, along with the fate of fellow Vivendi leftovers like 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand.

In the wake of Vivendi UK's closure, Activision Blizzard's general manager for the region, Andrew Brown, pointed out that while "Crash, Spyro and Prototype will definitely be released this and next year," the company was still in the midst of "reviewing its options regarding titles that it will not be publishing." Sound familiar? If the games are found unsuitable for Activision's immense sequel conveyer belt, it's likely that they'll be shipped off to more eager publishers.

Still, aren't you utterly relieved to learn that Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon are just fine? We were worried there for a second.

Yesterday's news that Activision Blizzard was only holding onto a select few Vivendi/Sierra properties going forward didn't look good for those awaiting the seemingly triumphant return of Ghostbusters. We contacted Sierra about the game's absence from Blizzavision's "to keep" list, and whether said omission spelled doom for the Ecto-1 crew. Good news, everyone: the game's not giving up the ghost.

A spokesperson for Sierra confirmed that, "First and foremost, the game is absolutely not canceled." But does it have a publisher? "[Sierra] is reviewing its options regarding those titles that it will not be publishing," we were told.

While not explicitly stated, it definitely sounds like Sierra has begun the process of shopping its remaining titles around to other publishers. These include Double Fine's hotly anticipated heavy metal adventure Brütal Legend. We're still awaiting word on its fate, but can't imagine Tim Schafer and crew letting a little publisher scuffle stop the rock.

One of the major outstanding questions surrounding the Activision Blizzard merger was: "What the hell is going to happen to Vivendi's other video game division, Sierra?" The new super-publisher announced it will be keeping five of Sierra's franchises total: Crash Bandicoot, Ice Age, Spyro, the still-in-development Prototype, and another as-yet-unannounced title. We're currently looking into the fate of Sierra's other publishing arrangements: Tim Schafer's Brütal Legend (oh, Brütal Legend, we're so sorry!), Ghostbusters: The Video Game, WET, and Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena.

Activision Blizzard is also reviewing Sierra's other properties that they will not be publishing: think Bourne, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, World in Conflict, et al. Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith says, "We are reviewing our options regarding those titles that we will not be publishing." Those games won't be published by Blizzavision because they're not "a strong fit with [Activision Blizzard's] long-term product strategy." No word on the fate of Sierra's classic adventure games like King's Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, etc.

As for the status of Sierra's in-house developers, Blizzavision will "realign staffing at Radical Entertainment and High Moon Studios" – the developers of Prototype and The Bourne Conspiracy respectively – while "exploring options regarding Massive Entertainment and Swordfish Studios" – the devs behind World in Conflict and 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, respectively. Those "options" include "the possibility of divestiture." Also potentially up for sale: Vivendi Games Mobile and Sierra Online, the latter notably responsible for a large amount of XBLA and PSN games. More on this story as it inevitably unfolds.

Some spook-tacular screenshots for Ghostbusters were released earlier today, and so far it's looking really good. Check out the ghostly images in the gallery below for both the Wii and Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 versions.

Hey, it's popular stage and screen actor Ernie Hudson. Boy, have you seen this new video for Ghostbusters? That may look like a movie, but it's actually a video game! (I know, I was surprised too!) But more important than whether or not it's a game or a movie is that it really looks good, I think. Good in the way that I think you should all go buy it right away.

See, times haven't been so good for your buddy Ernie. And when you buy something that says Ghostbusters on it, I get some money. In the biz, we call it a "residual." I know what you're saying: "Ernie, isn't it a bit troubling that around half the trailer is just clips from the movies?" Listen, what part of "hard times" do you not understand?

With Terminal Reality now holding onto development of Ghostbusters like a charged particle accelerator, most eyes have turned away from Zootfly's unlicensed Ghostbusters tech demo footage that leaked into the wild earlier this year. Most, but not all, as Terminal Reality boss Mark Randel admits that Zootfly's efforts actually helped release the concept from the containment system.

"What Zootfly did for us, inadvertently, is help sell the concept," said Randel in an interview with OXM. "When their footage came out, we were close to our green-light meeting, and when the executives saw the reaction from the fans, they immediately knew, 'Hey, Ghostbusters is going to be a big hit - we need to put this game into production.'" We doubt any of this will help Zootfly devs sleep at night -- though we advise if anyone asks if they're a god, they still say "Yes!"

Sony fanboys looking for absolute proof that their system is technically superior to the Xbox 360 got a boost recently when Terminal Reality president Mark Randel told VideoGaming247.com that a PS3-exclusive version of the developer's Ghostbusters game would be more technically impressive than the version being tuned to work on both systems. "If we made a PS3-only game, for example, you could double the amount of objects on screen that you're seeing," Randel told the site at a Sierra event last week. "The PlayStation 3 has seven processors and the 360 only has three, so seven versus three means you can do a lot more on the PS3."

Of course, Microsoft fanboys with a conspiratorial bent are likely to pick up on Randel's casual mention that "Ghostbusters is the property of Sony Pictures." Sure, it's possible that Randel is just badmouthing the competition to get in good with the rights-holder on his current game. Just as it is also technically possible that the 3DO will suddenly make a huge comeback this year ...

[Update: Actually, there won't be a connectivity feature that turns the DS into a PKE Meter. Sorry.]

The Wii version of Ghostbusters might be headed in an uncertain direction in the hands of Red Fly, a wholly different developer than Terminal Reality, which is creating the other version, but it will at least make use of the waggle console's touchy sibling. Busting through the fourth wall, Wii's Ghostbusters will morph any old DS (sold separately, of course) into a bleeping, blinking "PKE Meter," reports videogaming247. Sure, it's a glorified radar, but it senses ghost goo -- and you'll actually hold the darn thing in your hand! Has ectoplasmic detection ever been so tangible?

In addition, the Wii version (and PS2 port) will place special emphasis on local multiplayer and feature 4-player split-screen gameplay. Just don't cross the streams.

Over the weekend we got to check out upcoming titles from Sierra care of their 2008 Spring Event. Ghostbusters, Prototype, 50 Cent and more; check out our impressions ... or die tryin'.

	Joystiq impressions: Ghostbusters (360/PS3/Wii)
	Joystiq impressions: Prototype (360/PC/PS3)
	Joystiq impressions: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand (360/PS3)
	Joystiq impressions: World in Conflict: Soviet Assault controls (360/PS3)
	Joystiq impressions: Assorted Sierra XBLA games
	Joystiq impressions: The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon (360/PS3/PS2/Wii/DS)
	Joystiq impressions: Crash Bandicoot: Mind over Mutant (Wii)

Ghostbusters is one of those nerdy properties that when reissued, will never please all of its fans. Even in a brief demo with a few other writers, questions -- and follow-ups -- circled around "crossing the streams" and even geekier topics. I'm not at that level of spirit-stopping enthusiast, but I'm cautious about the new version, probably because it shows so much promise. I hate to get behind something, especially a beloved property, only to see it crumble.

The Ghostbusters animation, graphics, settings, and physics look great. The original cast has reassembled to record for this game. It's even being written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. But the biggest thing I didn't see was that story, and that narrative is an important part of Ghostbusters. We'll find out how well the script and setting hold up with its October, 2008 release.

We all know that the Ghostbusters will be returning to consoles with a new action game soon. But what about those who are less interested in the busting of phantasms than the ins-and-outs of running their own small business? For (both of) them, there's the DS version of the game, which NGamer reports will have more management elements, requiring players to run their own ghost-busting branch.

With the Ghostbusters' return still a year off, details are obviously still pretty skimpy. But, as counter-intuitive as it may seem, we're actually kind of intrigued by the business-focused concept. If we may be so bold, may we suggest the hit title of Ghostbusting Tycoon?

So we're not sure what to tell you about this supposed clip of the recently-announced Ghostbusters game from Dutch site Game1. It looks really good to us, but so did the Zootfly version we saw a few months ago, and that turned out to be a side project some company was putting together for laughs, so it's hard to say. Speaking of which, this video has a similarity to those first YouTube clips we saw of the Zootfly game, though this is way more polished.

So, we present the above video to you as is, with no guarantees as to its authenticity, other than logic and our own gut instinct. Of course, it would probably be easier to tell what was going on if, you know, the whole thing wasn't in Dutch. Side note: If you want to see something that we know is official, check out this teaser for the game.

Game Informer may have the cover for December, but Variety is dropping the details now about the new Ghostbusters game. Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd are teaming up to write the game's script, which will act as sequel to the movies. Ramis, Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Bill Murray will reprise their roles as the Ghostbusters by providing their voice and likeness on the project and, most importantly, Annie Potts will provide the voice of the secretary, Janine Melnitz. It's also worth mentioning that this game has nothing to do with the impressive looking Zootfly Ghostbusters game from earlier this year, which has since been erased from the intertubes.

The game will be created by Vivendi's Sierra label. Vivendi's videogame adaptation of Scarface has apparently sold over 2.5 million units and grossed $125 million for the company, which now claims that Scarface and Ghostbusters were in the top five movie franchises that gamers asked to see turned into video games -- wouldn't we love to know what the other three are now? Estimates have it that Vivendi spent "tens of millions" for the Ghostbusters license from Sony Pictures. Mark Caplan, VP of Sony's consumer products division said, "This brand is a very important asset for the studio, and we feel it's prime time for it to be rediscovered through videogames," Almost every console and handheld will be supported, and release is expected by fall of '08, which is awfully quick in current-gen game development time.

The Ghostbusters drama just keeps on coming as Dan Aykroyd himself (who starred in and wrote the original film) has revealed just what is going on with our favorite revived franchise. From Dr. Raymond Stantz himself: "Universal purchased the rights from Sony for a game. I'm actually going to have to perform and do some motion capture for them. That will be next year."

So now we know exactly why Sony had to drop the hammer on ZootFly and their Ghostbusters prototype. But why the sudden amount of interest in such an obscure property? It should be obvious by now that this is no mere coincidence. The moment the theme song itself resurfaced in a soon to be released Beatmania title, we knew something had to be up.

And that something is a new feature film. In yet another interview, Aykroyd reveals that not only is Ghostbusters III in production, but it's a computer animated film in which he lends his voice.

All that's left for this resurrection is some new toys and Ecto Cooler, because in 2007 Ghostbusters is all up in our grills, and we're loving it.