Round-Up: EA Loves Katamari, New Webzen Staff, Rampage Updated

Today's round-up includes news on object aggregation in the immediate area of Europe, some new hires from aggressively Western-expanding MMO publisher Webzen, and the latest in the monster-tastic Rampage series, as well as the latest product news and Gamasutra job postings. - The world's largest game publisher has announced plans to publish the world's pluckiest small game, as Electronic Arts revealed its deal with Namco to co-publish Katamari Damacy sequel We Love Katamari in Europe, the first time a Katamari title will be released in the European territories. "At last, the time has come for our fans in Europe to enjoy We Love Katamari. I am so excited about this!" said Keita Takahashi, the game's director. We Love Katamari is planned for an early 2006 release in PAL territories. No MSRP or box art was announced. - Webzen, a Korea-based publisher of MMORPGs, has announced new hires at its nascent Webzen America office. The new staff includes Aaron Rigby, hired as senior producer for Webzen's Soul of the Ultimate Nation; Mike Markin, hired as senior brand manager for SUN; and Steve Cavazos, director of human resources. Before coming on board Webzen, both Rigby and Markin worked for rival MMO developer NCsoft on Lineage II. "Webzen is extremely proud that our great reputation and exciting product line up slated for North America allows us to attract some of the best talent available from across the industry," said Webzen CEO Nam Ju Kim. - Midway has announced a new game in its Rampage franchise, last seen in Rampage Through Time on the PSone. The new entry, to be called Rampage: Total Destruction, and created by the Foundation 9-affiliated Pipeworks, which most recently developed the Godzilla console games for Atari, will retain the same gameplay the series is known for with a new sheen on the graphics for the current generation of consoles. The game will be released on the PlayStation 2 and GameCube in spring 2006, at a budget price of $19.99. - Also updated today: product news including the latest release of Xoreax's Incredibuild, RealDB's announcement of its military 3D model collection, and the latest Gamasutra job postings from companies including Blue Fang Games, Electronic Arts Los Angeles, and Factor 5.