Count Lionsgate as one more studio getting into the video game space, though it's not ready to dive into the deep end.

In an interview I did with him for Variety's Technotainment blog, Lionsgate digital media president Curt Marvis says his studio is talking with partners about getting into the casual games business, including online and phones:

Another area we’re taking in more specifically for my group is casual gaming and mobile games. There are some huge numbers that are being done by certain successful products in that area. And even not so huge but profitable businesses, particularly in the casual area.

Any games Lionsgate makes would, of course, be based on its own movie and TV properties.

As I reported last month, Lionsgate seriously considered self-publishing the PC/PS3/360 game based on its "Saw" movies that was dropped by Brash after it went bankrupt, but ultimately passed (it was bought by Konami). Without commenting on that title, Marvis confirmed that Lionsgate isn't ready to get into the AAA disc market given the high risk and big financial exposure, stating, "You invest in a real game these days and it's like making a movie."

Which is a shame, since I would love to see a "Madea Goes to Jail" game made in Unreal Engine. Another dream crushed.

For those keeping score, this new information on Lionsgate's strategy puts the movie studios' approach to video games as follows:

While we're all watching the big publishers like EA, THQ, and to a lesser extent Take-Two and Activision Blizzard struggle, it's interesting to see what parts of the games business are hot.

If you pay attention to investors -- and that's usually a good idea to know what companies seem to have the most potential -- it's the social casual gaming space. As PaidContent noted today, three separate companies that do online casual PC gaming with a strong social component have raised money recently, totaling $17 million.

Though Rotohog, OMGPOP, and SuperSecret are somewhat different, doing fantasy sports, facebook-style social networking tied to gaming, and virtual worlds, they all rely on alternative revenue streams like advertising, micro-transactions and subscriptions. That, apparently, is where investors think the big money is going forward, not $60 per pop AAA titles. There are already enough companies trying, and mostly failing, to make money that way.

Most of the attention on Take-Two this year has understandably been on the takeover drama with Electronic Arts and the record breaking launch of "Grand Theft Auto IV."

But in looking over its earnings yesterday, it struck me that the success of "Carnival Games" in the past year really has been impressive and, more importantly, overlooked. The original game for the Wii sold over a million units from last August through March, which is pretty good for any new IP, but especially a casual one on a single console. It and the new version for DS, which launched in early July, sold another million through the end of that month. (I should note that Take-Two actually said it "shipped" over two million copies, meaning they haven't all sold through at retail yet.)

Given the trouble that most third party publishers have had in creating successful titles for the Wii (save, of course, for "Guitar Hero"), this is a pretty good achievement in a year. Not to mention creating a new casual franchise, which lots of companies with a background in more hard core titles are talking about but haven't accomplished yet. Even the much heralded (and, I'll venture to say even though I haven't played "Carnival Games," much better) "Boom Blox" hasn't sold close to a million units last we heard.

Even if most of us in the gaming press aren't taking notice, since this is not the kind of game we typically play, it seems other publishers are. It's probably no coincidence that Warner Bros. recently announced a Guinness World Records game, while Brash is doing a game based on the Six Flags theme parks. Both are for the Wii and DS, but not 360 or PS3, of course.

Of course, I can't totally forget about "Grand Theft Auto IV," which has gone from 8.5 million units sold as of May 31 to over 10 million as of July 31. With a PC version and new downloadable content coming for the holiday season, I'd bet this monster still has a few million units left in it.

No word from Take-Two, however, on how July's "Civilization: Revolution" sold. Which means it probably didn't come out of the game incredibly strong.

In today's Daily Variety, I confirm that Electronic Arts is indeed, as rumored, doing a videogame tied to next summer's "G.I. Joe" movie.

Those of you obsessed with official announcements may not be satisfied with the story. But I had enough sources telling me it's happening that I'm ready to go with the story. And an EA spokesperson did confirm for me that the publisher has interactive rights to the "real American hero," even if they're not yet ready to discuss any specific titles. So that's definitely good enough for me.

EA was ready to discuss, however, a broad array of games its publishing in 2007 as part of its multi-year agreement with Hasbro, which held onto the interactive rights to G.I. Joe when it licensed the film rights to Paramount. Among the games coming this year are Scrabble, Yahtzee, Trivial Pursuit, Nerf, the Littlest Pet Shop and the one I'm most excited about, Operation. They're all coming out for mobile phones, Pogo.com PCs, DS or Wii, and are  aimed at a broad audience of non-traditional gamers, showing that EA is getting  serious about its new "casual entertainment" strategy.

Personally, though, I hope the "Operation" game moves beyond the PC, for which it's already announced, and onto the Wii. Trying to extract the funny bone without making that dorky guy's red nose light up with all my friends standing around a hi def TV is my idea of great casual entertainment.

(Read the whole story here.)