Starbreeze, Majesco enter The Darkness

Last November, Majesco surprised many by announcing it had inked an exclusive agreement with Starbreeze to develop next-generation titles. The deal marked quite a coup for the BloodRayne publisher, as the Swedish developer had just received widespread acclaim for its innovative film tie-in, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay.

At the time, the two companies said they were currently working on a game that unconfirmed online reports pegged as an adaptation of the popular Top Cow comic The Darkness. The comic follows Jackie Estacado, a mob assassin who, while on a job, acquires a host of black magic powers, known collectively as "The Darkness."

As it turns out, those reports were right. Today, Majesco and Starbreeze announced they are indeed adapting The Darkness for "next-generation consoles." Set for release in 2006, the game will put players in Estacado's possessed shoes, forcing them to collect and control Darkness powers to usurp an evil Mafia don. No specific genre or platforms were announced.

Naturally, Majesco president Jesse Sutton had only good things to say about the deal. "We are excited to have secured Starbreeze, a highly talented and respected team, to develop one of our first titles for the next generation of video game consoles," he said. "Combining the top-tier development talent and technology of Starbreeze with the compelling content of Top Cow's The Darkness comic book series provides a solid foundation for success."

GameSpot will have more on this emerging game as further information becomes available.