Showtime Networks is morphing Dexter into a video game. The US-based net has entered a production agreement with Marc Ecko Entertainment to produce an interactive experience for the TV series, which will reportedly hit Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles.

The Dexter game is in pre-production as both partners are in talks with a handful of developers. A release date has not been specified. More details will be announced in upcoming months.

Dexter debuted on CTV on Feb. 17 to a national average minute audience of 1.159 million viewers. Starring Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan, the show is about a forensic blood spatter expert and serial killer who hunts down people who have escaped justice.

Other popular series to have debuted on interactive gaming consoles in recent years include Law & Order, CSI, The Sopranos, The Shield, Desperate Housewives, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars and Deal or No Deal.

Showtime’s EVP marketing, digital media and research Len Fogge says the show has ‘a particularly strong fan base among gamers. It’s a very logical jump to create a game with the website IGN.com naming it 2007’s best television program.’ Marc Ecko president Marc Fernandez says Dexter is ‘an extremely rare TV show with enough layers of action and tension to translate perfectly into a compelling videogame. Our game designers, writers and artists are going to give Dexter’s morally complex world the kind of interactivity that gamers will love.’

Aside from its relatively young gaming production house, Ecko’s company also produces apparel and accessories lines and Complex magazine (circulation 335,000). The full-scale global fashion and lifestyle company reports billings of over $1.5 billion per year.