Shadows of the Damned dropping June 7

More and more, game companies are eschewing press releases and using Twitter to make major announcements. Case in point: This evening, Japanese developer Grasshopper Manufacture used its English-language Twitter feed to announce that its upcoming psychological action thriller, Shadows of the Damned, will ship on June 7. Though no territory was specified, the date is a Tuesday, when games typically ship in the North American market. It is also the first day of this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo.

First revealed--but not named--during an Electronic Arts showcase in August 2008, Shadows of the Damned is in development at Grasshopper under the supervision of famed designers Goichi Suda--often referred to as Suda 51--and Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami. It is EA's first time publishing a game from a Japanese developer and will be made for a worldwide audience "with North America and Europe in mind," according to EA Games president Frank Gibeau.

Shadows of the Damned tells the story of Garcia Hotspur, who goes on a trip to hell to save his true love, Paula. "But this isn't a romance game," Suda 51 said of the title at last year's Tokyo Game Show. Mikami echoed his comments, saying the game has a "punk-rock edge and Suda 51's trademark style in the game." Previous Suda 51 games include Killer7 and No More Heroes. It will have a soundtrack composed by Akira Yamaoka, who wrote the score for the Silent Hill series.

Shadows of the Damned was initially announced for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and PC. However, during TGS, only the PS3 and 360 versions were mentioned. Today's Twitter announcement did not reference any platforms.