Aspyr Media today announced it has acquired the rights from JoWood to publish and distribute Gothic III in North America. As the third part of this globally successful role-playing saga, Gothic III offers players a nonlinear, open-ended role-playing game with an enthralling story that presents an extremely detailed simulation of nature and human behavior. Developed by Germany's Piranha Bytes/Pluto13, Gothic III will be released in the first quarter of 2006 for the PC at a SRP of $39.99.

For players who can't wait until Spring for more Gothic action, Aspyr released Gothic II Gold yesterday, which features the original game plus its expansion pack, Gothic II Night of the Raven. Gothic II Gold is available for an SRP of $19.99.

"The Gothic brand has a large and loyal following who appreciate the great variety of action and adventure that the series offers players," said Ted Staloch, VP of Aspyr Media. "Gothic III lets players continue their adventures in the game's endless world, which features countless side quests along with varied characters, spells and weapons."