Natsume (known for its Harvest Moon series) has announced its plans to publish the photography sim Afrika in the US. Afrika will arrive on North American shelves for the PS3 in early fall 2009.

Afrika sees players stepping into the role of a freelance photographer and exploring a new conservation area. Players will document wildlife and photograph scenes including “a titanic clash between hippopotamuses, a pride of lions watching over its playful cubs, and a cheetah’s lightning-fast chase as it runs down its prey.”

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Yesterday we brought you news of National Geographic launching its own games division. The label aims to publish and develop its own line of games for consoles in collaboration with Namco Bandai and Sony, specifically focusing on titles that encourage interest in the planet.

Tucked away at the bottom of the press release was an interesting list of titles that National Geographic Games plans to publish. On the said list is none other than Sony’s National Geographic: Africa.

Afrika is a safari sim/wildlife photography title that up until now has been released exclusively in Japan (and in Asia under the name Hakuna Matata) on the PS3. It seems that National Geographic may have spilled the beans on plans to release the popular safari game in North America.

The press release also reveals that the title will be released in November 2008, this month! This could well hint that it will be released as a downloadable title on the PlayStation Network.

Is this a good way to advertise your game? A Japanese advert for the upcoming PS3 game, Afrika, shows an aspect of the experience that PR may not want to represent to the world. Weird.

Not much information has been released regarding Afrika, except that it is trying to replicate the environments found on the African continent, allowing players to explore of their own volition using jeeps to get around and taking photographs to cherish the memories. It’s said to be slated for an August 28th release in Japan.

Afrika was first revealed in a promotional video during Sony’s press conference at E3 in 2006 and later showcased in a new trailer at the Tokyo Game Show 2007.

Developed by the aptly named Rhino Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, Afrika is the working title of an African safari simulator headed to the PS3.

Sony has not yet announced where the game will be released. However, according to Eurogamer there are currently no plans to publish the game in Europe and the website relates only to Japanese gamers. A North American release date could still be on the cards.

The placeholder website for Afrika launched in Japan yesterday. If you pay the site a visit you will be lulled by the sounds of the wild in the form of wind and bird calls. A single white rhino strolls across the bottom of the page, below it are the words ‘Coming Soon.’

Head over to Rhino Studios website for a closer look at the big five and not so big other animals featured in various screenshots.