January 2013

NEWS!!!

Naruto Online Game to Launch in China in 2013

Namco Bandai & Tencent to co-develop with CyberConnect2's cooperation Namco Bandai Games announced on Thursday that it signed an agreement to jointly develop a Naruto Online game with the major Chinese Internet company Tencent Games. Both companies will develop the game, and Tencent Games' Chinese portal game site will release it this year. CyberConnect2, the developer of the Naruto Ultimate game series that has shipped 10 million copies worldwide, will also lend its cooperation.

A 2011 white paper on the Chinese game industry reported that the online game marketplace in China garnered 44.6 billion yuan (about 550 billion yen or US$7.16 billion) in revenue. Naruto Online will be Namco Bandai's first foray into PC online games in China.

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Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII's New Character Revealed

Mysterious girl Lumina, "Wear" costumes with new abilities previewed in 2013 RPG

This year's eighth issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine is revealing Lumina, the new character who will appear in Square Enix's Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII role-playing game sequel, on Monday. The magazine is deliberately keeping the question of whether Lumina is a friend or foe unanswered; it describes her as a girl who appears and disappears in the story without warning.

The magazine is also revealing the Dark Muse and Sajin no Koei (Alone in the Dust Storm) "wear" — the optional costumes that the title character Lighting can wear. The "wear" have a practical function, since they give Lightning new magical powers and abilities.

Square Enix will release Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles this year. The game will represent the final chapter in Lightning's story. The game centers around a 13-day countdown until the end of the world, and players must save humanity within 13 days and 13 nights.

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Ghost in the Shell Arise Anime to Launch in 2013

Kazuchika Kise, Tow Ubukata to serve as the chief director, head writer The February issue of Kodansha's Monthly Young Magazine is announcing on Wednesday that the Ghost in the Shell Arise anime will launch in 2013. Kazuchika Kise will serve as the chief director, and Tow Ubukata is supervising and writing the series scripts.

Source: Anime News Network