Nintendo
Reveals Its
Next
Engaging
Experiences
WiiWare, Wii
Fit, Super
Smash Bros.
Brawl Shown
at Game
Developers
Conference
REDMOND,
Wash., Feb.
20, 2008 –
The Game
Developers
Conference
in San
Francisco
attracts the
top creative
minds in the
video game
industry.
With that
audience on
hand,
Nintendo
announces
news that
reinforces
its
commitment
to provide
entertaining
and
enriching
experiences
for veteran
and new
gamers
alike.
WiiWare™,
Nintendo's
new
downloadable
game
service,
launches May
12 and
expands
development
opportunities
for
developers
the same way
Wii™
expanded the
world of
video game
players. Wii
Fit™, the
upcoming
title for
Wii,
launches May
19 and
introduces
the Wii
Balance
Board™
peripheral.
And Super
Smash Bros.®
Brawl draws
in fans of
all kinds.
"We are
excited to
participate
in the Game
Developers
Conference
this year to
share with
developers
and
consumers
alike our
upcoming
unique
services and
products,"
said Cammie
Dunaway,
Nintendo of
America's
executive
vice
president of
Sales &
Marketing.
"We are
hopeful that
they will
appreciate
our
offerings of
WiiWare, Wii
Fit and
Super Smash
Bros. Brawl,
which
represent a
trio that
will
continue to
attract new
players to
the world of
video
games."
At the
conference,
Nintendo
speakers
will outline
a number of
plans for
the coming
months on
their
respective
panels:
WiiWare:
Nintendo's
upcoming
WiiWare
changes the
way both
developers
create and
consumers
access video
games.
Through
WiiWare,
Nintendo
hopes to
offer
developers a
virtual
laboratory
that serves
as a
breeding
ground for
new games,
which
encourages
great ideas
that
creators
always
wanted to
develop. The
combination
of low
development
barriers and
unique game
experiences
found only
on Wii
should
enable
developers
to try new
ideas with
lower risk
in a
quicker,
more
creative and
affordable
way.
Meanwhile
Wii owners
can download
a multitude
of cool new
games from
different
genres,
including
some that
are
unprecedented,
which can be
purchased
from home at
a dynamic
price range.
WiiWare also
empowers
consumers to
determine
with their
Wii Points
which games
have the
right stuff
to become
the next big
thing.
WiiWare will
be a
repository
for all
types of
experiences
– literally,
something
for
everyone.
Early
WiiWare
games will
come from
celebrated
developers
like Square
Enix, which
is creating
FINAL
FANTASY
CRYSTAL
CHRONICLES:
My Life as a
King, a
simulation
game for all
ages. Also
watch for
games from
up-and-coming
developers
like
Frontier
with its
fresh,
enchanting
platform
adventure
LostWinds
and a new
episodic
game series
from
Telltale.
The first
U.S. WiiWare
games will
be available
on May 12.
Wii Fit: Wii
Fit
demonstrates
Nintendo's
commitment
to gamers of
all kinds.
It combines
fun and
fitness for
every member
of the
family to
keep active
and play
together.
Wii Fit
launches May
19 in the
United
States and
comes with
the
weight-and-motion-sensing
Wii Balance
Board that
Nintendo
representatives
demonstrated
could hold
great
promise for
future game
development
as well.
Third-party
publishers
are already
working on
new games
and
applications
that will
make use of
the Wii
Balance
Board.
Additionally,
Wii Fit
includes
access to
the Wii Fit
Channel, an
interactive
channel that
lets users
check in
each day to
track their
fitness
progress
through
weight and
BMI. In
Japan, Wii
Fit has sold
more than
1.4 million
units since
its Dec. 1
launch.
Super Smash
Bros. Brawl:
This action
game
launches
March 9.
With dozens
of
characters,
settings,
options and
ways to
play, it has
something
for
everyone.
The game
includes
characters
from all
across the
Nintendo
universe.
The previous
installment
in the
franchise
went on to
become the
best-selling
game of all
time for
Nintendo
GameCube™.
Remember
that Wii
features
parental
controls
that let
adults
manage the
content
their
children can
access. For
more
information
about this
and other
Wii
features,
visit
Wii.com.
About
Nintendo:
The
worldwide
innovator in
the creation
of
interactive
entertainment,
Nintendo
Co., Ltd.,
of Kyoto,
Japan,
manufactures
and markets
hardware and
software for
its Wii™,
Nintendo
DS™, Game
Boy® Advance
and Nintendo
GameCube™
systems.
Since 1983,
Nintendo has
sold nearly
2.5 billion
video games
and more
than 430
million
hardware
units
globally,
and has
created
industry
icons like
Mario™,
Donkey
Kong®,
Metroid®,
Zelda™ and
Pokémon®. 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.