Koei announces PS3 title for 2006 launch

Japanese publisher Koei has announced one of the world's first PlayStation 3 titles, revealing that it is working on a game tie-in for forthcoming samurai film Oni, which is scheduled for release in 2006.

The game, described as a "historical action" title - a genre which Koei, creators of the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors titles is very familiar with - is being created for "the next-generation successor to PlayStation 2," according to the official announcement.

It's intended that it will launch alongside the theatrical release of the movie - which is already stirring up interest in the film industry, as it is the directorial debut of Hisao Kurosawa, son of legendary director Akira Kurosawa.

Oni (which translates roughly into English as Ogre, and describes a type of malevolent spirit or mythical creature) is set in 16th century Japan and is based on a script by Kurosawa senior, which has been completed by his son.

Along with the production of the videogame, Koei has also been appointed to handle the development of other media opportunities for the franchise, including content for mobile phones, books, music and character goods.

While this will be the first time behind the camera for Hisao Kurosawa, it isn't the first time that he's been involved with videogames - he formerly served in an advisory role on Sammy's recent title Seven Samurai 20XX, which was inspired by his father's classic movie Seven Samurai.