Pokemon trainers of the world,
unite! How else will you manage to complete your Pokedex and challenge the
sinister plot of Team Galactic? On April 22, Pokemon(R) Diamond and
Pokemon(R) Pearl, the Pokemon series for the best-selling Nintendo DS(TM) game
system, become available in the Americas. These two titles represent the
latest adventure in the popular Pokemon franchise.
(Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050516/NINTENDOLOGO )
Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl offer a number of exciting new features
to please both experienced and new Pokemon fans alike. Set in an entirely new
region called "Sinnoh," players can choose to begin their adventure as either
a boy or girl Pokemon trainer on a path to becoming Pokemon League Champion.
The adventure continues as players can bring Pokemon from their Game Boy(R)
Advance Pokemon games to Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl using the GBA game
slot on their Nintendo DS.
As players trade and collect Pokemon to complete their Pokedex in this new
challenge, for the first time they'll have the chance to catch new Pokemon,
Munchlax(TM) and Weavile(TM). They also can play via local wireless with up
to eight other trainers while new moves and abilities deepen strategy.
"After recently celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Pokemon franchise
continues to get stronger," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior
vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "These two new
titles represent the best that Pokemon has to offer, and a great opportunity
for Game Boy users to upgrade to Nintendo DS."
Unique pre-sell styluses featuring new Pokemon from the new series will be
available by reserving the game early at participating retailers. Stay tuned
for more details about this special offer. Pokemon games continue to be
wildly popular around the world, with more than 155 million units sold
worldwide through September 2006. Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl are
currently shattering sales records in Japan since their September launch.
Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl for Nintendo DS will be available
April 22, and are Rated E for Everyone.
Pokemon USA, Inc., a subsidiary of The Pokemon Company in Japan, manages
and oversees the property outside of Asia, which includes licensing
activities, brand promotions, publication of the Pokemon Trading Card Game, TV
animation, home video entertainment, the official
Pokemon.com Web site and
PokemonCenter.com, an e-commerce site. Nintendo of America manages marketing
and distribution of Pokemon video games.
Pokemon was launched in Japan in 1996 for play on Nintendo's Game Boy(R)
and has evolved into a global cultural phenomenon. Pokemon was introduced in
North America in September 1998 and has since generated more than $26 billion
in worldwide retail sales. More than 40 million Pokemon video games have been
sold in the United States, including Pokemon Emerald, which was the No. 2
best-selling video game of 2005, according to the NPD Group. The Pokemon
Trading Card Game, fueled by Pokemon Organized Play programs around the world,
has spurred global sales of more than 14 billion cards to date, while the
Pokemon animated series set to debut its ninth season, Pokemon: Battle
Frontier, on Cartoon Network this fall, consistently ranks within the top
three shows for boys ages 6 to 11. For more information, visit
www.pokemon.com.
The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment,
Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and
software for its Wii(TM), Nintendo DS(TM), Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo
GameCube(TM) systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video
games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has created
industry icons like Mario(TM), Donkey Kong(R), Metroid(R), Zelda(TM) and
Pokemon(R). 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 site at
www.nintendo.com
