GameTavern - GBA SP News

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GBA SP Becomes the Fastest-Selling Video Game System in History

March 2004 - If first anniversaries are traditionally celebrated with paper, then the paper trail of sales receipts for Nintendo's Game Boy® Advance SP might be the most impressive first-anniversary gift ever. In its first year, the Game Boy Advance SP has sold more than 6.5 million units in North America, the highest one-year sales figures of any video game system in history, including home consoles. It also helped propel the Game Boy® Advance line to the most successful year in the 14-year history of the Game Boy® series, which has sold more than 160 million systems worldwide.

"By moving from the base Game Boy Advance model to the SP, Nintendo took portable gaming from the realm of a common Volkswagen to a baby Benz," says Michael Pachter, director of research for Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles. "It elevated the nature of portable gaming, and gave a tremendous boost to the video game industry overall."

With innovations like a fashionable flip-top, a pocket-perfect size, a front-lit screen and rechargeable battery, the Game Boy Advance SP is a favorite with young and old alike. In fact, more than 35 percent of its owners are 18 or older. An icon of pop culture, the Game Boy Advance SP has been spotted everywhere from subways in New York City to waiting rooms in Kansas, and in the hands of actors, musicians, students and housewives.

Nintendo introduced the first Game Boy system in 1989, and expanded the line through the years to include Game Boy® Color, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP. The Game Boy Advance SP, available at an MSRP of $99.99, comes in a variety of colors, including Platinum (silver), Onyx (black), Cobalt (blue), Flame (red) and a limited-edition two-tone model (Platinum base with Onyx top). More than 500 titles are available for Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP, and the Game Boy Advance line overall has sold more than 20 million systems in the United States.

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® Advance and Nintendo GameCubeTM 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 MarioTM and Donkey Kong® and launching popular culture franchise phenomena such as MetroidTM, ZeldaTM 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.

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RELEASE DATE ANNOUCNED FOR SPECIAL EDITION RIP CURL GAME BOY ADVANCE™ SP

Nintendo Australia Pty Ltd. and Rip Curl Pty Ltd. have announced that the Special Edition Rip Curl Game Boy Advance™ SP - a jointly designed product developed via a branding partnership between the two companies - is set for release on April 6, 2004. The release date coincides with Day 1 of competition at the Rip Curl Pro - the world’s oldest and most prestigious professional surfing contests held at Bells Beach, Victoria.

The Special Edition Rip Curl Game Boy Advance™ SP will be available at all major Game Boy Advance retailers, as well as being on display in Rip Curl and Surf Dive ’n’ Ski stores nationwide. It’s an exciting release for both companies and is sure to be a major favourite amongst gamers throughout the country.

“We’ve shown the prototype Special Edition Rip Curl Game Boy Advance™ SP to a lot of grommets on Rip Curl’s surf team and they’ve been stoked on it,” said Neil Ridgway, Global Marketing Chairman for Rip Curl International. “There’ll be massive crowds at the Rip Curl Pro this Easter and we’re looking forward to letting it loose at the event. It’s the ideal time to release it!”

Nintendo Australia shares Rip Curl’s excitement at the upcoming product launch and look forward to sharing this product with everyone attending the Rip Curl Pro.

“The timing of this product launch comes just after the Game Boy Advance SP celebrates its one year anniversary in Australia”, said Rose Lappin, Director of Sales and Marketing, Nintendo Australia. “Over the last 12 months we have seen sales in excess of 150,000 units. The launch of the Special Edition Rip Curl Game Boy Advance™ SP combined with our support of such a huge International Surf competition is just the way in which we at Nintendo Australia want to celebrate such a milestone”.

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