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Publisher Electronic Arts has officially announced plans to develop Academy Award winning film The Godfather II for popular video game consoles.

According to Variety, the game will follow-up 2006’s The Godfather, which banked more than $62 million in the U.S. alone. Playing the role of an up-and-coming associate for the Corleone family in the 1950’s, the game will diversify it’s predecessor by placing users in popular cities New York, Miami and Havana.

Unlike the movie, however, Godfather II will not focus on flashbacks but rather place attention on new plots and storylines.

“The flashbacks that are so great as a film experience don’t really work for a game,” EA senior Vice President Nick Earl told Variety. “We’ve created our own story that weaves in and out with the film and hits its major touchpoints.”

Despite not featuring the actual voice of the movie’s main star, Al Pacino, cast members including Robert Duvall, who plays Tom Hagen, have begun recording their voiceovers.

Admitting the difficulty of turning Hollywood blockbusters into successful video games, Paramount Studio’s VP of interactive and mobile Sandi Isaacs explains the achievement the series has created.

“So many movie-based games are just one-offs,” Isaacs told Variety. “So to create a franchise, especially off a property from the 1970s, is pretty phenomenal.”

A key feature to the game’s overall playability will be the up-close action in addition to players managing their organized crime family from an entire city’s perspective. There will also be an online multiplayer mode feature that will allow users to battle each other through their own crime families.

With EA’s long-term deal with Paramount, The Godfather III will most likely follow if the game becomes a success. Available on PC, Playstation 3 and X-Box 360, The Godfather II is expected to hit all retail stores February 2009.