FINAL FANTASY BECOMES REALITY ON NINTENDO GAMECUBE AND GAME BOY ADVANCE

Highly Regarded Role-Playing and Strategy Titles Feature Stunning Graphics, Dual-System Game Play

REDMOND, Wash., April 24, 2003 - Nintendo of America Inc. and Square Enix Co., Ltd. today announced three new titles in the incomparable FINAL FANTASY and MANA game series will be published and distributed by Nintendo of America Inc. for exclusive play on Nintendo platforms. Developed by Square Enix Co., Ltd., the three titles, FINAL FANTASY^® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES^TM, FINAL FANTASY TACTICS^TM ADVANCE and SWORD of MANA^TM are each scheduled to launch in North America this year, followed by European launches shortly thereafter.

Building on the hugely successful role-playing series, FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES, an exclusive title for Nintendo GameCube^TM, not only features stunning graphical worlds, but also extends game play to the companion Game Boy^® Advance. An innovative interface allows up to four players to use a Game Boy Advance system as a controller, receiving private information on their screens. This never-seen-before level of enhanced game play extends connectivity by encouraging players to communicate directly with party members, solve puzzles, cast magic and negotiate deals.

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE, the first FINAL FANTASY game to launch on Game Boy Advance, is a proven bestseller in Japan selling nearly 500,000 copies in less than two months. The game features entirely new characters, stories and game systems. Endlessly challenging and varied as the game is, players also can join friends in tactical battles using the Game Boy Advance Game Link^® cable.

SWORD of MANA - an action role-playing game with its roots deep in the time-honored craft of 2-D - also is coming to Game Boy Advance. Boasting a huge game environment, the story will alter depending on the character and course the player chooses to follow.

"Together with the millions of FINAL FANTASY and MANA fans around the world, we are excited about the release of these three titles in North America and Europe," said Yoichi Wada, president of Square Enix Co., Ltd. "Not only do these titles offer a unique gaming experience, but they will cultivate a new and broader audience for both Square Enix and Nintendo around the world."

"The FINAL FANTASY franchise is one of the most renowned and revered series in interactive entertainment," says Peter MacDougall, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Nintendo of America Inc. "The wide range of innovations found in each of these games will attract both Nintendo fans and critics, continuing to cement our commitment to provide only the most forward-thinking products to consumers."

Scheduled for release in Japan later this year, Nintendo Co., Ltd. will publish FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES.

All three games will be on display at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), May 14 to 16.

As the worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home video game systems. The systems include Game Boy^®, Nintendo^® 64, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube^TM. Since the release of its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.6 billion video games worldwide, creating enduring industry icons such as Mario^TM and Donkey Kong^® and launching such franchises as Zelda^TM and Pokémon^®. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere.

For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web sites, www.nintendo.com, www.nintendogamecube.com or www.gameboy.com.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix) develops, publishes and distributes entertainment contents including interactive entertainment software and publications in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. The recent merger between Square and Enix brought two of Japan's best-selling franchises - FINAL FANTASY^®, sold over 44 million units worldwide and DRAGON QUEST (DRAGON WARRIOR^® in North America), sold over 30 million units worldwide - under one roof. Both known to be pioneers in the role-playing game (RPG) genre, the unification of Square and Enix has created one of the most influential providers of entertainment content in the world.

 

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