National Geographic Publishing Sony's Afrika?

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan's Afrika, the photojournalist on safari PlayStation 3 title, may have had its North American publishing details stealth announced yesterday. National Geographic issued a press release on Tuesday announcing its upcoming plans to publish a series of games for the Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3 (and PlayStation Network), PC and iPhone under the National Geographic Games label. One of the titles the new Nat Geo Games label plans to publish is Sony's National Geographic: Africa.The safari sim launched in Japan and throughout Asia (as Hakuna Matata) this summer, but a North American and European release had yet to be revealed by SCEA. Now Nat Geo is saying the game is coming... and it's coming this month. Since we hadn't heard about the title until yesterday and don't see it on a single retail list online — and Nat Geo Games specifically lists the PlayStation Network as one of its intended platforms — we're thinking a download-only release is in the cards for the game formerly known as Afrika. The news may not be as mind-scrambling as the recent release of National Geographic Panda, but it will likely be welcome to PlayStation 3 owners looking for something out of the ordinary to play this holiday. We've contacted National Geographic reps to confirm.