Picked-up from Content Sutra -
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Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has acquired rights for a videogame based on "Ramayan 3392 AD" from Virgin Comics, a company started by Deepak Chopra, Shekhar Kapur and Richard Branson, reports Variety. SOE is setting up a development team in India, and has planned for a 2010 release for the game. A few of Virgin Comics' stories - on Devi, Ramayan 3392 AD and Sadhu - are being made into mobile games by Jump Games. Seems strange to me that SOE is looking to target India with the Ramayan 3392 AD game - given that it has religious significance in the country, and one never know hows the religious right might react. Also, this reminds me of a PC game being created on another Indian epic: the Mahabharata.
Virgin Comics has big plans for Ramayan 3922 AD, which is being re-launched.
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It seems - the Indian Game Development and Indian Gaming Industry Boom Bug is biting everyone. SOE is planning to setup a shop in India to build a game on Ramayana.
Shekhar Kapur has been deeply interested in creating video games based on his stories for a long time now. I met him in 2003-4, while I was working for Paradox Studios in Mumbai and we discussed some cool ideas. But I think it was a bit too early in Indian Gaming Industry to pull off something big, I am still not sure if there is enough expertise and experience to do something on this scale today (There are only handfuls of experienced developers). But with lot of experience coming from west; moving down to India and starting teams is a promising and a healthy sign. Things are getting exciting every day :)
