IndiaPost.com - Ready for online game on Ramayana?

NEW YORK: The Indian epic Ramayana will form the basis of a new online video game for which global entertainment major Sony has teamed up with Richard Branson and new age guru Deepak Chopra.

In a world increasingly dominated by games influenced by western myths, Sony Online Entertainment's (SOE) multi- player game will be based on "Ramayan 3392 AD" -- a comic book from Branson and Chopra's Virgin Comics that re-imagines the epic in a futuristic realm. Acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, a co-founder of Virgin Comics, is also involved in the project.

"Ramayana has inspired the lives of millions of people through the ages. The re-imagining of this great ancient epic through the creativity of a game platform reaffirms the fact that Ramayana is one of the greatest stories ever told," Chopra said in a statement.

The deal for the game was announced by SOE president John Smedley and Sharad Devarajan, CEO of Virgin Comics, in New York. "Virgin Comics approached us with a portfolio of amazing comic properties based on Indian lore. We particularly love Ramayan 3392 AD, as we feel Virgin Comics telling of 'The Ramayana' is particularly gripping, graphically brilliant and lends itself extremely well to an MMO (massively multi-player online video game)," said Smedley.