Earlier in the summer, rumblings from Japan emerged about a possible return to PlayStation2 for the Jump franchise, Naruto. The news was that the game (called Naruto: Konoha Spirits) would be arriving on Japanese store shelves in Autumn 2006.

Today Namco Bandai has announced that the game, re-titled Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles, would also be heading for North America during the Winter months. Following the story of Naruto and his friends, Uzumaki Chronicles features a brand new storyline and 'large-scale ninja combat' as the young ninja tries to reach his goal of becoming one of the most admired ninjas of all time.

"On the heels of the resounding success of 'NARUTOTM: Ultimate Ninja,' fans of the series have been clamoring for new NARUTO adventures on the PlayStation 2," said Naruo Uchida, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.'s Senior Vice President. "With 'NARUTO: Uzumaki Chronicles,' we will deliver another layer of gameplay depth to the franchise by introducing an original storyline and providing an opportunity for fans to engage in large-scale ninja combat, all the while exploring familiar locations of the Naruto universe in an adventure setting."

Whilst a European publisher for the game remains unknown, the fact that a Naruto title for Xbox 360 was confirmed back in April 2006 by Ubisoft, may mean that the French company will decide to distribute Uzumaki Chronicles too.

We'll have more news shortly...