The success of the Grand Theft Auto franchise has shown the game industry that crime does indeed pay. It has also spawned many eerily similar third-person shooters set in the modern-day underworld. Take for instance, a game like Dealer: Chronic, Pills & Coke, the self-admittedly "GTA-type game" announced today by independent developer Nagual for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC.

As you might have guessed by its subtle title, Dealer: Chronic, Pills & Coke casts players as a drug dealer, plying his or her trade in a sprawling metropolis. The game's ultimate goal is for the player to build up "a prosperous, illegal distribution network" for his or her narcotics inside the city. Players start off at the bottom of the drug ladder, slinging nickel-bags of marijuana on street corners and at raves.

After making enough contacts and money, players can upgrade to more profitable drugs, like LSD, 'shrooms, meth, ecstasy, and cocaine. They can also build the facilities that supply the distribution network, such as drug labs and marijuana plantations. Players can also diversify into prostitution, using the profits from their various illegal operations to buy cars and weapons.

These cars and weapons will come in handy during gameplay, which will involve "a lot of driving and shooting," according to Nagual. The game's plot will center on the "bloody and amusing adventures" said dealer has, and it will feature gang wars and, naturally, the Mafia. Powering the carnage will be NDL's GameBryo engine, used by Sid Meier's Pirates!. The game will also use AI-implant, most recently featured in Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy, for non-player character artificial intelligence.

Besides openly borrowing from Grand Theft Auto, Dealer also lifts a feature from the remake of NARC. Players can actually take the drugs they sell, which will offer temporary bonuses at first, but will lead to detrimental side effects, including possible overdoses. Nagual's announcement mentions that by showing the dangers of drugs and the inner workings of the drug trade, the game "emphasizes that using and dealing drugs is not only a crime, but [is] also harmful to society and the individual" and "damages the body and the mind." The statement also reveals that game designers would consult with "experts who deal with drug prevention and addiction" during the game's development.

Unsurprisingly, Dealer: Chronic, Pills & Coke has yet to find a publisher, but Nagual says the company has "started negotiations" with several. The company also provided no release date information.

GameSpot will have more information on this controversy-courting title as it becomes available.