After XS Games dropped the distribution rights to the North American localization of Raiden III for PlayStation 2, UFO Interactive Games graciously picked them up -- and, despite low-demand forecasts, kept the project alive. The vertically-scrolling shmup originally debuted on PS2 (in Japan) back in September 2005, and next month Raiden III will finally arrive in North America; for $30. UFO product manager Chong Ahn confirmed as much during the latest Team Fremont podcast, adding that the game's follow up (currently Arcade-only) Raiden IV is being prepped for release on Xbox 360.Ahn remained vague on further details, not willing to commit to a launch date or format; but he seemed to indicate that Raiden IV would be released to retail and not via Xbox Live Arcade (à la Treasure's Ikaruga port). Expect an official announcement after Raiden III gets off the ground.
