The new studio, located on the north side of Chicago, will concentrate on creating games for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Vignocchi leaves Midway after working on five games with the company over the past 8 and a half years. His departure is just the latest in a stream of lay-offs and departures in the financial strapped company.

In an email obtained by Kotaku last night, Matt Booty, interim CEO and president of Midway, told employees that the company laid off 90 Austin workers because the company felt that their open world game Career Criminal was likely not going to be successful, so they killed the project.

The layoffs hit less than a week after Midway confirmed to Kotaku that a trio of high-level folks had left Midway's Chicago studio. Among those to leave were Mike Bilder, head of the studio, the internal developer responsible for Stranglehold, Mortal Kombat and Blitz: The League. Other confirmed departures include Mona Hamilton, vice president of marketing, and Reilly Brennan, director of media relations. Two other high level staffers were rumored to have quit, including Vignocchi.

In the main career mode, you are taken through six episodes of a TV show "contest" to become the NBA chosen one. Hip Hop artist Chuck D hosts the episodes with actual real life footage. Each episode pits you against the many NBA stars and their signature moves and you must win each round to move on. By scoring points, you can fill up your meter allowing you to pull off "Shut 'em Down" super moves and "Act a Fool" combos. The Act A Fool combos are pulled of by a series of button presses and are completely over the top. I got to see a few of these in action and they are actually quite funny and had me shouting "No Showboating!" You also have the option of playing 1-v-1, 2-v-2 or 1-v-1-v-1 match-ups either locally or online over XBL. Downloadable content will also be made available so you can customize your character adding to the game's already rich Create A Baller system.

Admittedly, I am not a big sports fan so I think that some of the nuances of the game were rather lost on me, but the graphics looked nice and the special moves were good for a laugh. I'm sure those of you who enjoy a good round of basketball on your console will find plenty to do in NBA Ballers.

Music Icon Chuck D and Super-Producer Just Blaze Lend Talents to NBA Ballers®: Chosen One™

Chuck D to Provide In-Game Commentary for Next Installment of Midway's Popular Basketball Franchise.

Just Blaze Producing Theatrical-Style Score.

CHICAGO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer, today announced that music icon Chuck D and super-producer Just Blaze will both have prominent roles in NBA Ballers®: Chosen One™, the next installment in the popular NBA Ballers franchise that is scheduled to ship for the Xbox 360™ and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system in Spring 2008.

Chuck D, the famed front man and founder of Public Enemy, will serve as announcer and studio-host for the Chosen One tournament, and also provide play-by-play commentary throughout the game.

"The talents of Chuck D and Just Blaze will greatly enhance the NBA Ballers: Chosen One experience, as players live the fantasy lifestyle of an NBA Superstar," said George Gomez executive producer, Midway Amusement Games. "Chuck D is one of the most recognizable voices in music history, while Just Blaze has produced multiple chart-topping hits. Together they'll ensure that NBA Ballers: Chosen One will feature a sound to match the game's amazing graphics and gameplay."

Just Blaze, who has produced tracks for best-selling artists such as Jay-Z, Usher, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, T.I. and many more, will produce the entire instrumental score for NBA Ballers: Chosen One.

The Just Blaze-produced score for NBA Ballers: Chosen One marks a bold departure from the current norm in sports video game soundtracks. Instead of a random compilation of tracks from various artists, the soundtrack will instead interact with the gameplay, much like a cinematic score, and will be a noticeable change from the typical use of licensed music in games.

"NBA Ballers: Chosen One will allow players to live the life of an NBA superstar," said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. "Featuring new competitive combo and super-move systems, the NBA Ballers Franchise returns with the amazing realistic graphics for which the franchise is known as players take part in the ultimate challenge to become the next 'Chosen One."

Live The Lifestyle With NBA Ballers: Chosen One

Midway Announces Third Installment of Popular NBA Ballers Franchise Coming to Next Generation Consoles in Spring 2008

CHICAGO - November 27, 2007 - Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer, today announced NBA Ballers: Chosen One as the next installment in its top selling NBA Ballers franchise. The fast-paced one-on-one and two-on-two action returns as players can select from more than 65 NBA superstars to be the next "Chosen One". NBA Ballers: Chosen One is scheduled to ship for the Xbox 360™ and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system in Spring 2008.

"NBA Ballers: Chosen One will allow players to live the life of an NBA superstar," said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. "Featuring new competitive combo and super-move systems, the NBA Ballers Franchise returns with the amazing realistic graphics for which the franchise is known as players take part in the ultimate challenge to become the next 'Chosen One."

With an optimized next-gen graphics engine, NBA Ballers: Chosen One will continue to set the bar for graphic quality, with the most true-to-life athlete likenesses seen in a sports video game. The franchise's hallmark pick-up-and-play gameplay allows Ballers of all skill levels to master combos and pull off amazing super-moves as they hoop-it-up with the best players in the NBA.