Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls Officially Announced For PSN

Thanks to the ESRB, we already knew that ACQUIRE’s Wizardry: Labyrinth of the Lost Souls was coming to North America by way of the PlayStation Network, but now we have an official press release straight from XSEED to back up our previous claims.

XSEED Games To Publish Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls for PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system in North America and Europe

Next Gen Iteration of Popular Wizardry Dungeon Crawler Series to Arrives on PlayStation® Network this Spring

Torrance, Calif., (March 23, 2011) -Torrance, Calif. (March 23, 2011) – XSEED Games, an independent-minded publisher, today announced the upcoming PlayStation®3 system title Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls, to be released in North America and Europe in partnership with Japanese developer ACQUIRE. The game was previously released in Japan as Wizardry: Torawareshi Tamashii no MeikyÅ« (Dungeon of Imprisoned Souls). The latest iteration of the long-standing Wizardry series and the first available for Next-Gen consoles, Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls will be exclusively available for download via PlayStation®Network in spring 2011.

(Having the opportunity to work with ACQUIRE to bring over Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls is truly an exciting one for us,) said Jun Iwasaki, President of XSEED Games. (We’ve long admired the Wizardry series as a pioneer of the RPG genre, so with our upcoming release players will be able to experience a defining moment in gaming history.)

One of the premiere RPG experiences since 1981, the original Wizardry has a storied history and is credited as (The Granddaddy of RPGs,) having been among the first to utilize grid-based dungeon crawling gameplay when it was originally conceived for early PC platforms. Wizardry the original and its successors – established a basic and classic command-driven battle system with still images of monsters to fight, which would be emulated in later games for years to come. Wizardry was the first to formally introduce an innovative first-person perspective, the fundamental stepping stone leading to one of today’s most popular gaming genres. What’s more, RPG fans also owe the concept of prestige classes to Wizardry, an important element and basic building block of the modern-day RPG class system.

Following in the grand tradition of the Wizardry series is the very first version available for today’s Next-Gen gamers; Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls features a deceptively simple game system complementing deep and involving dungeon designs. Hardcore RPG fans will find an extensive and grueling 1st-person 3D grid-based dungeon crawl experience rendered in high-definition with hand-drawn characters and sprites by famous commercial artist Yuki Hayabusa. Players will develop a party of up to six members culled from a rich mix of five races and eight classes, and prepare to encounter over 120 different monsters.

Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls, developed by ACQUIRE and to be published by XSEED Games, will be available for download via PlayStation Network this spring. The game is currently in production and XSEED Games will share more information in the coming weeks.

About ACQUIRE:
Founded in 1994 and based in the Akihabara district of Tokyo, Japan, ACQUIRE Corp. is the creator of the Tenchu series, and well-known as being one of the top development houses for Feudal-era Japan games, also creating fan favorite series such as: (Way of the Samurai) and (Shinobido: Way of the Ninja.) With multiple teams, ACQUIRE focuses on PlayStation 3 system, Xbox 360, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and Nintendo 3DS game development. More information on ACQUIRE Corp. can be found at http://www2.acquire.co.jp.

About XSEED Games:
XSEED Games was formed in November 2004 by a small group of industry veterans led by president Jun Iwasaki with a common vision: to cross pollinate the avid gaming cultures of Japan and North America. Delivering unique, innovative titles across multiple platforms and genres, XSEED Games is dedicated to publishing products that appeal and enrich the North American market. More information on XSEED Games can be found at http://www.xseedgames.com