Project Zero IP now co-owned by Nintendo - report

Tecmo's Project Zero - or Fatal Frame as it's known in North America - IP now appears to be co-owned by Nintendo, suggests a report.

Nintendo recently updated its copyright status to acquire co-ownership of the Fatal Frame IP, according to a recent post on Rely on Horror. The Kyoto-based company also appears to have full ownership of the spin-off Spirit Photography IP and Project Zero 2: Wii Edition, a remake of Project Zero 2: Crimson Butterfly.

We've pressed Nintendo for comment and will update when we hear back.

This is unusual given that the series debuted on PS2 in 2001 with Project Zero, which was later ported to Xbox. Its sequel Project Zero 2: Crimson Butterfly was also on PS2 and Xbox, while the third game Project Zero: The Tormented remained a PS2 exclusive.

The Suda 51 co-directed Project Zero 4: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse was only released in Japan on Wii, but a fan-made patch offered a region-free English dub.

The latest game in the series is the 3DS spin-off Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir. "Spirit Camera promises to be a bit of a gimmick-fest, then, but a lot of its gimmicks appear to be pretty entertaining," said Christian Donlan in his preview.

Spirit Camera and Project Zero 2: Wii Edition are set for release in Europe on 29th June. See the latter in action in the new trailer below.