Story of Seasons is the next Harvest Moon game coming to the 3DS in North America

Way back in the fall, we told you about the next upcoming Harvest Moon game - Harvest Moon: Linking the New World.

The farming sim launched in Japan earlier this year under the Harvest Moon banner, and we've just learned that it's coming to North America with one major change: the words "Harvest Moon" will not appear in the title.

Strange, right?

Well, there's a reason for this bit of confusion. Xseed Games has picked up the publishing rights to Story of Seasons, but Natsume - the usual publisher of Harvest Moon titles in North America - owns the rights to the Harvest Moon name.

So, if you're looking for the next Harvest Moon game, look for Story of Seasons when it's released this winter.

What's in a name?

The good news is that outside of the name change, there's not much separating Story of Seasons from previous Harvest Moon titles.

Xseed's told us that longtime producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto had a hand in crafting Story of Seasons, as did character designer and artist Igusa Matsuyama.

Outside of that, gameplay will follow the traditional Harvest Moon arc - you create and customize a character then set them out to tend crops, animals, and all other aspects of everyday farm life.

Once you amass enough crops and resources, you can change the layout and appearance of your farm to your heart's content.

Sound like a game you'd like to know more about? We'll be sure to track it down at E3 for you.