NEW YORK (Reuters) - THQ Inc.'s (Nasdaq:THQI - news) latest video game is all about how to win friends and influence people -- and intimidate them into submission.
The company on Thursday said it is developing a video game based on the hit HBO television series "The Sopranos" and its mafia themes.
The game, which THQ is designing for Microsoft's (Nasdaq:MSFT - news)
PlayStation 2 video game consoles, will feature the voices of various cast members, including James Gandolfini as mob boss Tony Soprano.
It is expected to go on sale in time for the 2006 holiday season.
In the game, players take the role of a mafia soldier and the illegitimate son of Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero. As a mob war brews between rival families in Philadelphia and New Jersey, they must earn money on collections, protect their turf through intimidation and gain admiration in the family to advance within the organization, THQ said.
THQ is known for its professional wrestling and Nickelodeon franchises as well as such games as action sci-fi title "Destroy All Humans!." It has targeted a broad market beyond the hard-core gaming niche preferred by several other publishers.
It also targets children and families, with titles such as "The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer" and "Bratz: Rock Angelz."
It's not the first time that HBO, a has moved the moody mob family into a different medium.
Cingular Wireless, a mobile phone service run by AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T - news) and BellSouth Corp. (NYSE:BLS - news), in December said it would provide subscribers clips from popular HBO shows such as "The Sopranos."
