Pokemon Rules, Game Boy Advance SP Rolls

Two of the video game industry's iconic names – Pokémon and Game Boy – are recording booming sales – again!

Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen, both released Sept. 7 for Game Boy Advance SP, combined to sell more than 1 million units in North America within the first 21 days of its availability. Since its Sept. 2 price drop to an MSRP of $79.99, Game Boy Advance SP sales are up 70 percent.

"The key to success in our industry is no secret," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "When you offer great interactive entertainment at a great price, players respond in droves."

Part of the impressive sales success of these two new games can be attributed to the inclusion of the new Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter, with wireless communication technology from Freescale Semiconductor, which lets players trade and battle their Pokémon or simply engage in a wireless chat. Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen also includes cross compatibility with Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, as well as Pokémon Colosseum for Nintendo GameCubeTM, allowing players to trade and battle more than 300 Pokémon.

Pokémon USA, Inc., a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages and oversees the property outside of Asia, which includes licensing activities, brand promotions, publication of the trading card game, TV animation, home video entertainment, the official Pokémon.com Web site, operation of the Pokémon Center NY in Rockefeller Center and pokemoncenter.com, an e-commerce site. Nintendo of America manages marketing and distribution of Pokémon video games and the Pokémon trading card game in North America.

Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 for play on Nintendo's Game Boy and has evolved into a global cultural phenomenon. Pokémon was introduced in North America in September 1998 and has since generated more than $15 billion in worldwide retail sales. More than 40 million Pokémon video games have been sold in the United States, including Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, which were the No. 2 and No. 3 best-selling video games of 2003, according to the NPD Group. The trading card game, fueled by organized play programs around the world, has spurred global sales of more than 13 billion cards to date, while the Pokémon animated series on Kids' WB!, now in its sixth season, consistently ranks within the top three shows for boys ages 6 to 11. For more information, visit www.pokemon.com.

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