Nintendo of America says no to legions of Fatal Frame IV fans hoping for a western release...

Fatal Frame IV is one of those titles that just keeps getting away no matter how close it seems to be. The Wii-exclusive horror title released in Japan last year under the publishing banner of Nintendo, but there was never any sign of a western release. The last NOA president Reggie Fils-Aime said of the title was that Nintendo was not the publisher for America.

Now though, Tecmo - holders of the IP and publisher of all previous games in the series - have issued a contradictory statement to IGN which leaves us not only confused, but thoroughly disappointed.

"Nintendo holds the publishing rights to 'Fatal Frame Wii,' which was developed by Tecmo LTD. and Grasshopper Manufacture and released in Japan on July 31, 2008. Nintendo of America has since then decided not to publish the title in North America � consequently, the title will not be released in this territory. As the owner of the IP, Tecmo feels very unfortunate that the fans of the series in North America will not have a chance to play the game, but respects the final decision made by Nintendo of America."

It's not entirely clear what kind of state this leaves to game in in terms of a US release. If Nintendo truly do still hold the publishing rights and have no intention of localising it, it's not good news for Americans.

Where does this leave Europe? A European release was recently rumoured to be going ahead, but with no proper confirmation, all we can do is grit our teeth and wait. It sounds odd to say it, but we can only hope this will be another Disaster...