Forget poking, ‘Dante’s Inferno’ encourages damning sinful friends on Facebook (360, PS3, PSP)

Visceral Games, an Electronic Arts studio (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced ‘Go to Hell’, an all-new social application inspired by the upcoming game, Dante’s Inferno™. This application takes the poem’s canonized nine circles of hell, and brings them into everyday life. With the click of a button, anyone can send a friend foe, place, product or brand to one of the nine circles of hell. Angry at your mom for grounding you? Send her to ‘Treachery’. Mad at your ex- for cheating? Send them to ‘Lust’. The free ‘Go to Hell’ app launches today on Facebook® Platform, with consumers able to share data across other online destinations including MySpace, iGoogle and Twitter. Dante’s Inferno releases February 9 on Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PSP®(PlayStation®Portable).

“This app is awesome! Not only will it be a blast to see who the world sends to hell, but it’s also a great opportunity to take Dante’s notion of the 9 circles of hell and make it current and relevant for people who may not be familiar with the poem,” said executive producer Jonathan Knight. “Let the damning begin.”

The ‘Go to Hell’ app calls on people to damn others to the nine circles of hell: Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud or Treachery. From there, users can choose to punish or absolve their victim… and see how the community reacts. The ‘Go to Hell’ app comes complete with a ‘Hell Browser’ that serves up a snapshot of all the activity in hell on a day-to-day basis. In the browser, see who takes top spot as the most deplored evil demon – be they a loudmouthed celebrity, a slimy politician or a hated TV character.