Level-5, Studio Ghibli Bringing PS3 Ni No Kuni To North America In 2012

Level-5 has announced that the upcoming PS3 version of the Studio Ghibli DS RPG collaboration Ni No Kuni ("Second Country") will be coming to North America in early 2012. At a Tokyo Game Show press conference (as reported by Gamespot), company president Akihiro Hino confirmed that an English version of Ninokuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joou ("Queen of the White Ashes") will cross the ocean after the title hits Japanese PS3s on November 17. The original DS Ni No Kuni: Shikkoku no Madōshi ("The Jet-Black Mage"), launched in Japan last December, after multiple delays pushed it back from its originally planned 2009 release. The title secured impressive initial shipment numbers but fell short of the top sales position in its first week on shelves thanks to Capcom's Monster Hunter Portable 3rd. The DS edition has not get seen release outside Japan. The PS3 edition will follow the story of DS original closely up until the game's midpoint, when the story will change. The story in the PS3 edition will also continue past the ending of the DS edition, Hino said. Ni No Kuni is the first video game collaboration for Studio Ghibli, which has been widely acclaimed for animated movies include Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Ponyo.