Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced that Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch will have a Winter 2012 release in North America exclusively for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. This epic tale of a boy crossing two realities on a quest to find his mother brings together two of Japan’s most respected entertainment companies, LEVEL-5 and Studio Ghibli, to create an RPG for the ages.

The unique fantasy adventure is developed by LEVEL-5, the studio behind the smash hits Dragon Quest VIII, Dragon Quest IX, and the Professor Layton series. For the game’s characters and animations, LEVEL-5 collaborated with the legendary Studio Ghibli, responsible for countless anime masterpieces including My Neighbour Totoro, Castle in the Sky and Spirited Away. The in-game music comes from the hand of Joe Hisaishi, the composer of the scores to over 100 films including many of Studio Ghibli’s greatest productions.

"The development team at LEVEL-5 has worked very hard to ensure that Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a RPG that fans of video games and traditional animation will remember for years to come. It has been a great honor to collaborate with Studio Ghibli and Joe Hisaishi, and to incorporate all of their experience into a fantastic game," said Akihiro Hino, President and CEO of LEVEL-5. "Our top priority for the Western release of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is to localize the game with the same level of quality and attention to detail that fans of LEVEL-5 and Studio Ghibli have come to expect."

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a heart-warming tale of a young boy named Oliver, who embarks on a journey into a parallel world to become a magician in an attempt to bring his mother back from the dead. Along the way Oliver makes new friends and adopts many of the wonderful creatures that inhabit the world, raising them to battle other creatures on his behalf as he takes on formidable enemies.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is scheduled for North American release winter 2012 and will include both English and Japanese voiceovers.