Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi has been tapped by Japanese ad firm Dentsu to create a Virtual Tokyo for Linden Lab's popular MMORPG Second Life. This according to the latest issue of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu.

Mizuguchi was reportedly approached by Dentsu's Ken Aihara for the project. Although Mizuguchi initially refused, he said that the more he thought about it, the more it started to appeal to him. "My work all these years has been to entertain people through video games, but this Virtual Tokyo concept could be the next step and path."

The project will not be a total replica of Tokyo, though. "The Tokyo we are trying to create is based on the image of city. How do people in Tokyo perceive the city? How about foreigners? That's what we want to express," said Mizuguchi. Mizuguchi also stated that he plans to make Virtual Tokyo "like a museum of Japanese pop culture."