March 4^th, 2006 (1:07pm) - In December of last year it was announced that Majesco had sold its rights to publish and develop games based on two comic book properties, Top Cow’s The Darkness and Marvel’s Ghost Rider. It had been previously unknown as to who would pick up the publishing responsibilities for The Darkness until 2K Games announced yesterday that it has picked up the right to publish the game on next-generation game consoles.

Under development by the award-winning developer Starbreeze Studios, The Darkness video game is based on the best-selling comic book series from Top Cow Productions and utilizes a Starbreeze internally developed next-generation game engine. The Darkness will feature a distinct blend of dark modern crime drama and supernatural horror with intense first person non-linear gameplay.

"The Darkness video game is a dynamic first person shooter that allows players to call upon the forces of the evil underworld as they fight in gritty, urban environments," said Christoph Hartmann, Managing Director of 2K Games. "Armed with an arsenal of guns, gamers will battle an array of demonic creatures and supernatural powers. The dark and dynamic comic book storyline will translate perfectly into first-person action that fans will love."

In the game, players assume the role of mafia hitman Jackie Estacado. On the night of his 21st birthday, Jackie is possessed by "The Darkness," an ancient demonic entity that gives Jackie spectacular powers. The story, written by Eisner Award winner Paul Jenkins, follows Jackie and his fight with the fictional Francetti mafia. As the story unfolds, the player will learn to utilize traditional weapons and the extraordinary powers of The Darkness.

The best-selling comic book series "The Darkness" launched in 1996 and is currently published in 19 different languages around the world. Union Entertainment, a feature film and video game production company is overseeing the video game adaptation of the franchise. A feature film based on the franchise, produced by Platinum Studios and Dimension Films, is in pre-production for projected release in 2007.

"The Darkness is a great franchise and we’re proud to be developing the game with 2K Games, Starbreeze and Union Entertainment," said Matt Hawkins, Top Cow’s President and COO.

The Darkness is expected to see a release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. A Nintendo Revolution version has also been rumored to be in development as well.