Tales of Eternia coming to the US?

[03.24.01] » Namco's most recent Tales game may yet see a domestic release.

   Though Namco's action RPG Tales of Eternia lingered long at the top of the Japanese charts after its November release last year, the company's U.S. division has remained silent of the matter of a possible localization for the game. New information has surfaced, however, which may indicate Namco will be bringing the third Tales game over early next year under a new title.

   Online retailer EBGames has added a cryptic listing for "Tales on Destiny 2" for the PlayStation 1 to their release calendar with a tentative date of 1/1/02. Tales of Destiny, the second game in the series, was the only one to make it to US shores, and Namco would likely want to capitalize on the name recognition for the release of a sequel. Though EBGames has a long history of adding titles they assume will be arriving US -- they already have a listing for Final Fantasy XI, for example-- a new listing for a five month old game on a dying platform is unlikely to be pure speculation.

   While EBGames' 2002 date is undoubtably a placeholder, such a late release for a PS1 game may seem like an odd decision for a company that has moved most of its support to the PlayStation 2. Tales of Eternia's contiued strong sales in Japan, where it has sold over half million copies, could have finally convinced the company to bring the game stateside.

   Namco has yet to issue an official statement regarding Tales of Eternia's release in the US, but look for possible confirmation at E3 in May.