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.

National Geographic, one of the world’s largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations, has announced the launch of its very own games division, National Geographic Games (NGG).

The label, in collaboration with Namco Bandai and Sony Computer Entertainment, aims to publish and develop its own line of games for consoles, handhelds and mobiles, focussing on titles that continue the National Geographic Society’s goals of encouraging interest in the planet.

The label will be headed up by Paul Levine, taking on the role of corporate strategy and development Senior Vice President, while Chris Mate, formerly of Take-Two and Bethesda Softworks, will take the vice president and general manager reigns. Chief operating officer of National Geographic Ventures, Ted Prince said of the launch:

“The launch of our games division furthers National Geographic Venture’s cross-platform strategy of creating and distributing unique consumer experiences and content on multiple platforms and devices.”

“Paul’s strong background in cross-platform media, interactive entertainment and business building and development combined with Chris’ expertise in the video game industry and product development will ensure that National Geographic Games extends our mission globally and makes the National Geographic brand more meaningful to a broader audience.”