Sega, Pyro Studios partner over Planet 51

Sega announced that it has inked a deal with Commandos series dev Pyro Studios to produce a game based on the upcoming CG film Planet 51, with the tie-in expected to crowd store shelves with versions on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and Nintendo DS. A Winter release is planned, though the "mission-based driving game" will likely be available at or around November 20 when the movie, which pits the voice of Dwayne Johnson against a planet of little green men, hits theaters.

So, to run down, we've got a movie-licensed game based on a movie starring The Rock from a studio whose claim to fame is an inconsequential series of tactical games. Forgettable, sure, but in this slumping economy, betting on movie licenses seems like a safe bet for any outfit, let alone one facing such substantial losses as Sega.