Ea Sends Classic Literature to Hell With Dante’S Inferno

December 17th, 2008 by: Alisha K.

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Of all the things in the world that could possibly be used as inspiration for any sort of video game, the last thing you might expect Electronic Arts to fall back on is Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. And yet that’s exactly what the company unveiled at Monday’s Video Game Awards.

If your response is also a resounding “what?”, then just wait–it gets better. “The time is right for the world of interactive entertainment to adapt this literary masterpiece, and to re-introduce Dante to an audience that, until now, may have been unfamiliar with the remarkable details of this great work of art,” said Jonathan Knight, executive producer for Dante’s Inferno. “It’s the perfect opportunity to fuse great gameplay with great story.”

Somehow, epic poems that form a cornerstone of classic literature need “third person action adventures” to serve as their introductions. It’s not at all a bad idea, guys, but please, roll back on the hubris. Y’know. For the (uneducated) children.

EA’s teaser trailer is certainly evocative of Dante’s hell, but I’m gonna guess, from this footage, that the game will have considerably less fainting and fewer political overtones than the source material. EA  has not yet announced any consoles, release dates, or really anything other than the fact that the game exists.

[Dante's Inferno via 1UP]