Ni no Kuni coming to North America 'early 2012'

Level-5 and Studio Ghibli's Japanese RPG, Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joou, is headed to North American PS3s sometime early next year, according to an announcement made by Level-5 president Akihiro Hino. The announcement means English language gamers will be able to play the game just a few months after its November 17 release in Japan.

The PlayStation 3 version of Ni no Kuni will begin the same way as its DS counterpart, but will be told differently after the game's midpoint. The PS3 version will also contain more content, effectively expanding the game's story beyond the where the DS version's ended. The game's story focuses on Oliver, a thirteen-year-old boy who is transported to a parallel universe where he attempts to revive his recently deceased mother.

Hino also confirmed that DLC is planned for the game, but didn't share any further details about it at the conference.

(via Gamespot)