Pokemon Fans Get Their Wish with
a New, Secret Character — Jirachi!
Expect a Frenzy as Fans Clamor to
Snag the Legendary Character
REDMOND, Wash.–Feb. 9, 2004–Legend
has it that this secret Pokemon(R) character wakes only once every 1,000 years
and has the ability to grant wishes. And beginning Feb. 9, one of Pokemon fans’
biggest wishes — to get the secret character named Jirachi — will come true.
Fans who reserve a copy of Pokemon Colosseum(TM) — made exclusively for
Nintendo GameCube(TM) — will take home a bonus disc packed with exclusive
Pokemon extras, including the special gift of Jirachi.
The Nintendo GameCube bonus disc
contains a sneak peek of the upcoming Pokemon movie Jirachi Wish Maker, a
preview of the Pokemon Colosseum game and, for the first time, the ability to
add Jirachi to the Pokemon(R) Ruby and Pokemon(R) Sapphire collection. By using
a Nintendo GameCube(TM) Game Boy(R) Advance cable, players can download Jirachi
from the Nintendo GameCube directly to their Pokemon Ruby or Pokemon Sapphire
games on their Game Boy(R) Advance.
"Pokemon Colosseum combines the best
of both role-playing elements and 3-D battle games," said George Harrison,
Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate
communications. "With this special pre-sell offer, fans will be battling to see
who can be the first to buy Pokemon Colosseum." Pokemon Colosseum, the first 3-D
Pokemon title for Nintendo GameCube, offers players a unique opportunity — two
ways to play: a story mode and a battle mode. In the story mode, players must
rescue or "snag" Pokemon that have been captured by an evil organization, "Team
Snag ‘Em," and are now termed "Shadow Pokemon." Players who "snag" the Pokemon
and nurture them back to their true spirits are rewarded with the ability to use
them in battle. In the 3-D battle mode, up to four people can play two vs. two
in an environment more elaborate and intense than in any other Pokemon game.
The Pokemon franchise, which
recently entered its sixth year in the United States, remains incredibly
popular. Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire, both released last March for Game
Boy Advance, were the second and third best-selling video games for all of 2003,
according to NPD Funworld. Pokemon Colosseum, Rated E for Everyone, launches
March 24 at an MSRP of $49.99.
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 and
portable video game systems. Each year, hundreds of all-new titles for the
best-selling Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo GameCube(TM) systems extend
Nintendo’s vast game library and continue the tradition of delivering a rich,
diverse mix of quality video games for players of all ages. Since the release of
its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.8
billion video games globally, creating enduring industry icons such as Mario(TM)
and Donkey Kong(R) and launching popular culture franchise phenomena such as
Pokemon(R),Zelda(TM) and Metroid(TM). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of
America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s
operations in the Western Hemisphere.
Pokemon USA Inc., the New York-based
subsidiary of The Pokemon Company in Japan, manages and oversees the Pokemon
franchise in North America and Latin America, which includes licensing,
merchandising, TV animation, the trading card game, theatrical releases, home
video entertainment, the official Pokemon Web site, the Pokemon Center NY in
Rockefeller Center and
www.pokemoncenter.com , an e-commerce site.
Pokemon first launched for the
world’s best-selling Game Boy(R) video game system in Japan in 1996 and has
since evolved into a global cultural phenomenon.
Since bringing the franchise to
North America in September 1998, Nintendo has sold more than 122 million Pokemon
games worldwide. Pokemon merchandise has generated over $15 billion in worldwide
retail sales since 1998. The trading card game, fueled by organized play
programs in 47 countries, has spurred global sales of 10 billion cards to date.
For more information on Pokemon go to
www.pokemon-games.com or
www.pokemon.com.
For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at
www.nintendo.com.
