Visceral Games, the developers behind the critically-acclaimed Dead Space franchise and a studio of Electronic Arts, today announced that Academy Award-nominated writer Will Rokos is writing the story line for Dante’s Inferno, the adaptation of part one of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem “The Divine Comedy” from Visceral Games.

 

Rokos is best known for his Best Original Screenplay nomination for Monster’s Ball in 2001, and is collaborating with the game’s creative team to craft an all new narrative that parallels the original poem.

“The task of adapting a revered and classic piece of literature for the gaming medium was a tremendous challenge,” said Jonathan Knight, executive producer of Dante’s Inferno. “Dante Alighieri’s masterpiece forms the foundation of the game’s plot, but Will’s take on the Dante/Beatrice story brought the necessary conflict and action that made the material really work dramatically. It was an enormous thrill to partner on the script with someone as creative and talented as Will.”

“Taking such a naturally rich and deep universe and adapting for the video game has been one of the most interesting and challenging projects I’ve worked on,” added Will Rokos. “I really got into re-imagining Dante as a flawed hero with a dark past, and his determination to save the love of his life from a terrible fate. It was a truly unique experience to re-create one man’s hell, one circle at a time.”

In Dante’s Inferno, players will assume the role of Dante as he fights through Dante Alighieri’s nine circles of hell – limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. Each circle features distinctive epic environments, custom creatures and demons, bosses and sub-bosses, unique gameplay scenarios, and specific story elements crafted to tell the sins of Dante’s past.

The blockbuster video game adaptation of Alighieri’s epic poem “Inferno” will be available in North America beginning on February 9, 2010 and in Europe on February 12, 2010.