The first shock is that he has a comic book based on Indian folklore. Then we find out its going to be made into a massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG)! The game, based on Deepak Chopra’s comic book Ramayan 3324 A.D., is currently in production by Virgin Comics and SOE.

Ramayan 3392 A.D. is a futuristic retelling of the Indian epic Ramayan, put into comic book form by Deepak Chopra and Shekhar Kapur. The game will not be a retelling of the book, but the story is used as the basis for the storyline and character development. John Smedley, President of SOE stated, “This a fantastic time for us to expand our games to include this culturally rich storyline and we are honored to do this with a diversified, creative and experienced company like Virgin Comics.”

The artwork for the comic books is beautiful, and Indian folklore is often rich with imagery. Mike Fahey at Kokatu explains why the world of Ramayan seems so attractive:

The setting is rich with Indian culture, juxtaposing the spiritual themes of the original Indian epic with technological ones for an enticing mix of old and new that has resonated with comic book readers everywhere.

This game will be a welcome relief from the over-domination of cookie cutter fantasy worlds that are out there. Sharad Devarajan, Co-Founder and CEO of Virgin Comics said it best, “”In a world increasingly dominated with games influenced by a western Tolkien mythos, Ramayan will offer gamers a chance to experience a whole new universe of characters and archetypes derived from one of the oldest cultures on Earth.”

No platform has been decided on or release date been set.

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Entry was posted on Saturday, August 18th, 2007 at 8:32 am under Uncategorized.

Read more entries by Ema Kwiatkowski.
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