We have some bads news. Director Gore Verbinski has stepped down from directing the BioShock movie for a possible forth installment into the Pirates of the Carribbean movie series, which isn’t all bad news because Pirates of the Carribbean is awesome, and it looks like Juan Carlos Fresnadillo has stepped in as director – SlashFilm reports.

Verbinski will remain involved in the project, but only as producer. However, as we reported back in April, Universal has shut down production of the movie because of the film’s ballooning budget that continues to grow. Also for some reworking of the script, and to explore possible locations outside the country offering financial incentives.

With a pool of talented name brand filmmakers hoping to helm such a project (Guillermo del Toro has been outspoken), its amazing that Universal went with Fresnadillo in the end, who’s best known as the writer/director of 28 Weeks Later.

It looks like this big budget movie may have been too big for its budget. Announced last May, the movie was in pre-production by Universal and 2K with Pirates of the Caribbean director, Gore Verbinski attached to helm the film along with John Logan, responsible for Gladiator and The Aviator, planning the script.

According to a spokesperson from Universal, the film will remain alive in an extended pre-production “so the studio and production can take a look at possible alternate shooting locations, available tax credits, foreign exchange rates and other elements that might help us make the film at a responsible budget.”

“No plug has been pulled on BioShock,” reps told Kotaku. “Universal remains committed to making the project and Gore absolutely remains attached as director.”

The movie was announced to have a budget at about $160 million, which, if you remember, rocked the internet with the announcement.

[Universal Puts BioShock Movie On Hold On Budget Concerns via Kotaku]

We were told that we were going to see this in the “upcoming weeks”, no pun intended, but we didn’t think that would be this soon.

Today, details were revealed for the upcoming Fable II DLC entitle “See the Future”. The content gives players the chance to heed the call for a hero to restore color and balance to the world, or let Albion fall. Those who emerge victorious will receive the ultimate reward: a quest that provides a vision of Albion’s future and what lies ahead for those born into the heroic bloodline. The new quests in “See the Future” will bring players face-to-face with new characters, creatures, events and legendary artifacts, like:

Murgo – a person that you meet in the childhood part of Fable II how returns to Bowerstone Market to bring an amazing array of new wares; The Ghosts of the Snowglobe Quest – Holding a disturbing secret, the small model village inside it was once a real town in Albion.; The Cursed Knight Quest – Forever banished to a land beyond the dead, the Cursed Knight awaits a hero who has the strength and will to dress up in convincing costumes, even imitating a hobbe or balverine, to save him from his fate; The Colosseum – The Colosseum puts even the Crucible to shame. Only the greatest heroes have triumphed here.

See the Future will offer free unique items including Welley’s soldier helmet, a braided ponytail, pshyco Jester make-up, a new hero expression, the back flip trick for the dog, a collectible Murgo the Trader statue and more. The new content looks set to release in May for 560 Microsoft Points.

[See the Future of Albion via Lionhead]

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that video game company Radical Entertainment will be laying off about 100 employees, which is almost half its staff. The decision was made by the company’s owner, Activision Blizzard, to reduce the number of titles Radical produces.

“Activision Blizzard is committed to making the best games possible and has elected at this time to reduce the number of titles that Radical is developing from four games to two,” Leah Rubin, Radical’s vice-president of human resources, in an email. “Therefore, we will be proportionately reducing the size of our studio.”

Activision Blizzard said it would go ahead with five games including Radical’s Crash Bandicoot, and Prototype, a new game created by Radical that will debut in 2009. The reductions come in the wake of an ownership change last month that saw France-based Vivendi, which owns Radical, and American video software company Activision, join forces as Activision Blizzard.