Namco Bandai Publishing Level-5, Studio Ghibli RPG Ni no Kuni

Namco Bandai will publish Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, the PS3 version of Level-5's RPG with animation from storied film studio Studio Ghibli, in Europe and North America next year. Level-5 published the DS version of the title, Ni no Kuni: The Jet-Black Mage, in Japan last December but never announced plans to release the portable game to other regions. It will also publish Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch in Japan, where it ships next month. The high-definition PS3 release will follow the story of DS original closely up until the game's mid-point, when the plot will change. The story in the PS3 edition will also continue past the ending of the DS version. Level-5 has worked with noteworthy animation companies for titles like its Professor Layton series, but Ni no Kuni is a collaboration with one of the most famous anime studios, Studio Ghibli, maker of films like My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke. At its Level-5 Vision press event over the weekend, the company revealed another new IP in which animation will play a major role, Youkai Watch (Ghost Watch). The game has no announced platform or release date, but it will be a "trans-media" franchise with manga and anime elements. Other new announcements from Level-5 Vision include Professor Layton Royale, a social mobile game developed with DeNA; and Layton Brothers: Mystery Room, an iOS title with a "crime-scene mystery style" setting that stars Professor Layton's son, Hershel.