Richard Branson's Virgin Comics has teamed up with video game publisher Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), to bring the popular, India-based Ramayan 3392 AD comic book universe to life as an MMO video game, initially for the PC.

Under an exclusive multi-year, worldwide licence agreement, Sony will develop and publish an MMO based on Ramayan's story of mythological lore. Virgin Comics will serve as a creative consultant on the project.

Ramayan 3392 AD, initially released as a comic in late 2006, re-imagines one of India's greatest epics into a futuristic realm.

"Ramayan has inspired the lives of millions of people through the ages. The re-imagining of this great ancient epic through the creativity of a game platform re-affirms the fact that Ramayan is one of the greatest stories ever told," said Sharad Devarajan, co-founder and CEO of Virgin Comics.

"The fact that the same creative team of young Indians who created the story will be involved in working with SOE's game development team is a testament to the innovative and mythic minds of these gifted Indian creators. They will take a new generation to new frontiers across the seas of consciousness into new realms of mystery, magic, adventure, and transformation."

Devarajan added: "In a world increasingly dominated by games influenced by a western Tolkien mythos, Ramayan will offer gamers a chance to experience a whole new universe of characters and archetypes derived from one of the oldest cultures on earth. Our mission at Virgin Comics has always been to allow this generation of Indian youth to have a creative platform through which to speak to the world."