Pokémon Rumble Blast for Nintendo 3DS Set to Launch Oct. 24

First Pokémon Game for Hand-Held Nintendo 3DS System Includes Fast-Paced Battles, Social Play Features and More Than 600 Pokémon

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Starting this fall, Pokémon^™ fans will be able to experience the franchise’s battle-based action and adventure in a whole new dimension. Nintendo of America has announced an Oct. 24 launch date for Pokémon^™ Rumble Blast, the first Pokémon game created exclusively for the hand-held Nintendo 3DS^™ system. An action-packed Pokémon adventure in 3D without the need for special glasses, the game lets players battle against waves of opposing wind-up Toy Pokémon, connect and play with friends, and collect more than 600 Toy Pokémon.

“The controls are intuitive and simple enough for anyone to pick up and play, while new battle modes, more than 600 Toy Pokémon and social play opportunities offer deep experiences for longtime fans.”

As players advance through each stage in Pokémon Rumble Blast, their Toy Pokémon will face dozens of Toy Pokémon at once, creating fast and furious real-time battles. Players must also face off against giant Boss Pokémon, whose massive size and strength offer special challenges. Certain defeated Toy Pokémon can be added to the player’s team, and players may also collect special Toy Pokémon, each with its own unique stats and abilities. Players can collect more than 600 Toy Pokémon in all, including those from the recently released Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version games. Players can quickly and easily switch between the various Toy Pokémon they collect throughout the game.

Pokémon Rumble Blast offers two ways for players to wirelessly connect with each other. Using a local wireless connection, they can enjoy a cooperative play mode that allows them to battle through levels together and more easily befriend defeated Toy Pokémon. Using the Nintendo 3DS StreetPass^™ feature, they can challenge the Toy Pokémon of players they pass in their daily travels and view other players’ Mii^™ characters in the game.

“Pokémon Rumble Blast delivers instant Pokémon gratification,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The controls are intuitive and simple enough for anyone to pick up and play, while new battle modes, more than 600 Toy Pokémon and social play opportunities offer deep experiences for longtime fans.”

Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.

For more information about Pokémon Rumble Blast, visit http://www.pokemon.com/rumbleblast.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii^™ home console, Nintendo 3DS^™ and Nintendo DS^™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System^™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.7 billion video games and more than 600 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi^™ and Nintendo DSi XL^™, as well as the Game Boy^™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES^™, Nintendo 64^™ and Nintendo GameCube^™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as 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, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.

About Pokémon: The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children’s entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visit http://www.pokemon.com.

Note to editors: Nintendo press materials are available at http://press.nintendo.com, a password-protected site. To obtain a login, please contact Deanna Talamantez at 213-438-8742 or [e-mail]. Users can receive instant Nintendo information by subscribing to the site’s RSS feed.