The Internet was rumbling about it, but now it's official. NIS America has announced that Mana Khemia: Student Alliance for the Sony PSP will not hit its previous January 2009 North American release date, and will instead be released in Spring 2009. The title will "undergo further improvements" and continue to be worked on until at least mid-February.

Mana Khemia: Student Alliance is an improved version of the PlayStation 2's Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis. Student Alliance will add features such as a multiplayer co-op mode and the ability to install part of the game on the PSP's memory stick for faster loading. Mana Khemia casts the player as Vayne Aurelius, a novice alchemist who interacts with professors and students at Al-Revis Academy while completing academic quests and crafting items. Crafting in Mana Khemia refers to more than just items, as players can also perform "avatar crafting" of skills and stats to create unique types of characters. An NIS America representative told RPGamer that Mana Khemia: Student Alliance will most likely be released sometime in March.