Nintendo News: Pokemon Fans Get Their Wish with a New, Secret Character — Jirachi!; Expect a Frenzy as Fans Clamor to Snag the Legendary Character

Business Wire, Feb 9, 2004

Business Editors

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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.

Note to editors: Nintendo press materials are available at press.nintendo.com. Please note that press.nintendo.com is a password-protected site; to receive a password, contact Chris Olmstead at 213-623-4200, ext. 780.