In brief: this week's mobile gaming news

Our sister site, MobileIndustry.biz, covers all the latest news in the growing mobile gaming sector. Here, we present a brief round-up of this week's announcements.

Eastern European developer Qplaze is partnering with GSC Game World for a mobile version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl. The game is due this September from publisher Nomoc.

Gameloft has secured the rights to develop a mobile game based on Ubisoft's console licence Driver. Driver: LA Undercover will be released this June, to coincide with new Driver titles on the PSP and Wii.

Gameloft is also extending its Dogz franchise to include new titles Dogz 3D, Catz and Petz, all due this year, and the French publisher has also inked a deal with Airtel to distribute its most popular titles in India.

Sega has hired UK studio The Code Monkeys to work on the mobile version of The Golden Compass. The game is set to launch simultaneously with the movie release, due this December.

Namco Networks has signed a deal with KDDI to bring its portfolio of titles to the US. KDDI currently boasts over 25 million Japanese subscribers and has a catalogue of casual games on offer.

Mobile QA outsourcing specialist Babel has formed a new US division to meet its needs in the region. The firm works with over 40 content providers including Disney, EA Mobile, Glu, Gameloft and I-Play.

Player X is teaming with Sky for a mobile version of Carol Vorderman's Mind Aerobics. The title will be supported by six-figure ad campaign in print, online and TV outlets.

EA Mobile's Javier Ferreira is interviewed on MobileIndustry.biz this week, where the VP of publishing discusses the company's plans in the MMO and community building space. The full feature can be read here.