TAKE A WALK ON THE POKÉMON SIDE WITH POKÉMON PIKACHU™

Interactive Entertainment Driven by Physical Activity

REDMOND, Wash., November 5, 1998 – Nintendo takes interactive entertainment to places it’s never gone before with Pokémon Pikachu – a first-of-its-kind virtual companion with built-in pedometer and evolving relationship-building component. The Pokémon Pikachu unit, the size of a small pager, attaches to a belt, shirt or purse, and can go everywhere you do, including your local retailer this week to purchase your own Pokémon Pikachu for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $19.95.

Pokémon Pikachu is the latest addition to the Japanese phenomenon currently invading the U.S. known as Pokémon – 150 different, unique, scary, lovable and fanciful monsters starring in a Game Boy game, animated TV cartoon and a multitude of licensed products and toys.

Starring Pokémon’s most popular character – Pikachu – Pokémon Pikachu is the first electronic toy where body motion determines the strength of the bond with Pikachu. The unit features a unique, built-in pedometer that tallies the distance a player walks and converts the accrued "steps" into watts. The player feeds watts to Pikachu and moves through five relationship levels to reach the ultimate goal: "Pikachu loves you!" Pokémon Pikachu also includes a digital, mini-game that gives a player the opportunity to dramatically increase accrued watts by matching three of the same picture.

"Pokémon Pikachu is a simple, yet fun concept and will appeal to both kids and adults," says Peter Main, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president, sales and marketing. "The Pokémon phenomenon is taking hold in the U.S. – from the exceptional sales of the Game Boy game to the phenomenal cartoon series ratings. We expect consumers will love Pokémon Pikachu and project sales to exceed 1 million units this holiday season."

A player begins building a relationship with Pikachu immediately after setting the unit’s clock. The clock time determines Pikachu’s activities throughout the day: brushing its teeth, taking a shower, eating a meal, working in the yard, riding a tricycle and much more. The unit also includes an alarm clock option.

Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, is the acknowledged worldwide leader in the creation of interactive entertainment. To date, Nintendo has sold more than 1 billion video games worldwide, and has created such industry icons as Mario, Yoshi, Zelda, and Donkey Kong. Nintendo manufactures and markets hardware and software for its best-selling home video game systems, including the 64-bit Nintendo 64, the hand-held Game Boy, and the 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in North America, where more than 40 percent of American households own a Nintendo game system.

• MSRP: $19.95
• Available: November 2, 1998
• Type: Virtual Companion
• # of Players: One

Overview:

• Pokémon Pikachu, the virtual companion, is a portable electronic toy with relationship-building and game play features
• Players use body motion to build and nurture a relationship with Pikachu
• The bright yellow Pokémon Pikachu resembles a miniature Game Boy unit and easily attaches to a belt, shirt or purse
• Pokémon Pikachu is the latest offshoot of the Pokémon phenomenon that has dominated Japan and is invading the U.S. with the Game Boy game, an animated television series and a multitude of licensed products

Game Play Elements

• To build the companion relationship, players must use body motion to build steps to accrue watts, and then feed the accrued watts to Pikachu incrementally
• Built-in pedometer tallies distance players walk, and converts the "steps" into "watts"
• Feed watts to Pikachu to make it happy; neglect it and it will get mad

Relationship-Building Element

• There are five relationship levels for owners to discover, ranging from "Pikachu Loves You" to "Pikachu Has Left You"
• Pokémon Pikachu includes a digital mini-game allowing players the opportunity to dramatically increase accrued watts to feed to Pikachu
• Players win watts by matching three of the same pictures
• The built-in clock and alarm allow Pikachu to perform a variety of activities determined by the set time of day: brushing teeth, working in the yard, taking a shower and riding a tricycle
• As players nurture the relationship, new activities are discovered
• At night, Pikachu sleeps, and is unavailable to play
• Players have the ability to restart the unit to begin building a new relationship with Pikachu
• Once a player reaches the screen’s maximum of 999,999 points, the counter can be reset enabling the player to add to the previously accrued watts