November 25, 2008 08:00 AM Eastern Time 

Disney Interactive Studios Releases Ultimate Band

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Disney Interactive Studios today released Ultimate Band, an all-new musical video game experience for fans of the Wii™ home video game system and Nintendo DS™. Jamming alone or as a member of a band, aspiring rockers of all ages can advance from garage-band beginners to stadium-filling superstars. Disney has brought together a track list of popular favorites and combined it with accessible gameplay to deliver to fans video games with great value and hours of fun. Both games use only the Wii controllers or Nintendo DS stylus to rock making the purchase easy on the wallet this holiday season.

“No matter what instrument you choose - guitar, drums, bass or front man, you’ll only need a Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ to start rocking out. DS players need only their stylus to reach rock stardom in Ultimate Band.”

Available in time for the holidays, Ultimate Band invites players to jam to contemporary favorites like “Steady As She Goes” or “Fell In Love With a Girl” to hard rocking classics like “My Generation” or “Whip It.” There are no expensive single-purpose accessories to buy; Ultimate Band, developed by Fall Line Studio in Salt Lake City, Utah, players use Wii controllers and the Nintendo DS stylus. The Nintendo DS version even allows players to create their own musical masterpieces, laying down tracks for lead, rhythm and bass guitars as well as drums.

“Disney’s Ultimate Band is a great entertainment value this holiday for anyone who loves music and games,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president, global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “No matter what instrument you choose - guitar, drums, bass or front man, you’ll only need a Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ to start rocking out. DS players need only their stylus to reach rock stardom in Ultimate Band.”

Ultimate Band for Wii allows players to create a band with their own look, style and attitude. By perfecting their musical skills and polishing their act, players can advance their musical careers from playing in the garage to performing before thousands of screaming fans on sold-out stages within the infamous RockDome. Choosing their own stage look and clothing, players can create unique characters that reflect their own personalities and ambitions. As they advance along the path to superstardom, players unlock new songs, venues and accessories that can be used to customize their band members. Players can add a fifth player as the “Effects DJ” and through mini-games on the Nintendo DS version of “Ultimate Band,” trigger fireworks, lights and other effects within the Wii game.

Ultimate Band for Nintendo DS is a rhythm-based music game with a built-in recording studio. Players can jam to current and classic songs using the drums, lead guitar, bass guitar or rhythm guitar. Players can also create their own original songs using the DS touchscreen and stylus to lay down tracks for each instrument and apply creative mixing effects. Ultimate Band for Nintendo DS also includes DGamer functionality which will allow players to engage with others in a secure online community via their DS (Wi-Fi or local wireless connection) or computer.

Ultimate Band has ESRB ratings of E10+ on Wii and E on the Nintendo DS, and is available this holiday season. MSRP is $29.99 for Nintendo DS and $49.99 for Wii.

For more information on Disney Interactive Studios and Fall Line Studio, visit http://www.disney.com/videogames.

About Disney Interactive Studios

Disney Interactive Studios, part of Disney Interactive Media Group, is the interactive entertainment affiliate of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS). Disney Interactive Studios self publishes and distributes a broad portfolio of multi-platform video games, mobile games and interactive entertainment worldwide. The company also licenses properties and works directly with other interactive game publishers to bring products for all ages to market. Disney Interactive Studios is based in Glendale, California, and has six internal video game development studios around the world: Avalanche Software, Fall Line Studio, Propaganda Games, Black Rock Studio, Gamestar and Junction Point Studios; and two internal mobile game development studios: Enorbus and Living Mobile. For more information, log on to http://www.disneyinteractivestudios.com.