Traveler’s Tales has churned out hit game after hit game with their charmingly funny and fun LEGO games based on popular movie franchises such as Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and Harry Potter. Now the next film series to be immortalized in brick is Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Boy, would I have loved to be in the room when the Pirates of the Caribbean film was first pitched.

“I think it’s high time we did another movie based on one of our theme park attractions. I mean, The Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy did so well.”

In spite of the odds, Pirates of the Caribbean was a huge hit and the franchise has made more than $2.7 billion worldwide. So it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that Walt Disney is coming back for more, announcing a Pirates sequel for May 2011.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will feature Johnny Depp returning as Captain Jack Sparrow, with Astrid Bergs-Frisbey signing on as Syrena, a beautiful young mermaid.

This weekend (August 15 – 18, 2008), Disney is going to have a Free Preview Weekend event running in its Pirates of the Caribbean Online massive multiplayer online rpg (MMORPG) to lure new users into the game. If you’ve ever been intrigued by the tv commercials, now may be your chance to give it a try.

Pirates of the Caribbean Online has two versions, Basic Access is always free, but Unlimited Access costs a $9.95 monthly fee. During this promotion, all Basic accounts will temporarily become Unlimited accounts. People who are already Unlimited users will still want to log in this weekend though, as all shops in the game will have a 50% discount on items to customize characters…

It looks like the Bioshock movie we’ve all been awaiting is actually going to come to fruition. According to Variety, Universal and Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski will be bringing the dystopian world to the silver screen. John Logan, screenwriter behind Oscar-winning The Aviator will be penning the project. Verbinski had a few more »

Today I received one of the largest bits of promo swag from a game company.

In a wooden box that measures approximately 19 x 19 in. (packed in an even larger cardboard box), the Walt Disney Internet Group sent a wooden ship replica. The ship was sent to promote Pirates of the Caribbean Online, as was clearly stamped on two sides of the wooden box/crate. On alternate sides of the box was stamped the game’s slogan, “Live the Legend.”

Click through to see the ship…

Disney has announced plans to increase its game development spending to $350 million per year in the next five years, according to Reuters. Last year, Disney spent $100 million on game development and has spent $130 million this year.

Disney Interactive Studios has already released a number of games on all modern platforms this year, including Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Meet the Robinsons. It have also released a few original games: Spectrobes, a Pokemon-esque RPG, and Meteos: Disney Magic, both for…

You’ll get unlimited health, costumes plusa few other fun extras when you download the Pirates of the Caribbean: A World’s End extra content free at ‘X-marks-the-spot’ wireless hotspots at Walt Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, and Walt DisneyWorld in Florida. Guests of the Disney theme parks can download the extra contents for free only when they more »

Buena Vista Pictures wants to help bring out the inner pirate in you in all of its 3D glory. Called “Piratizing,” you upload your image and get back a 3D version of you as a pirate in your email. Sure, it’s a way to get on their mailing list and promote the third Pirates of more »