REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 21, 1999--

-- Chart-Blasting Sales of New Pokemon Pinball(TM) Title,

Record Attendance at National Tour Kick-Off Event Intensify

America's Love for Pokemon Franchise --

Nintendo of America Inc. today released sales figures for Pokemon Pinball, the latest Pokemon(TM) game for Nintendo's Game Boy Color, making it history's fastest selling title for the world's most successful game platform.

With more than 262,000 units sold in only 20 days, Pokemon Pinball topples any previous record-breaking sales for Game Boy games, even the chart-topping Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue. Pokemon Pinball, launched June 28, is the latest example of America's fascination with 150 cute creatures called Pokemon. Overall, the Pokemon franchise has generated more than $5 billion to date in worldwide revenues, almost as much as the total U.S. video game industry in 1998.

The Pokemon craze has swept the nation and shows no signs of slowing down. Today, hundreds of California Pokemon fans will get "into the game" and see their favorite characters in 3-D as Nintendo launches Pokemon Snap(TM), Pokemon's debut N64 game, at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Pokemon Snap hits retail shelves on July 26.

Nintendo also recently launched its 19-city Pokemon League Summer Training Tour at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. More than 44,000 people attended the event, making it the largest attendance in history at any Mall of America indoor event. The Pokemon tournament teaches players how to train their Pokemon and compete against other Pokemon enthusiasts in an effort to become a Pokemon Master Trainer. The tour continues through September 12.

"American children have embraced Pokemon because of the social interactivity the characters induce -- it's something they can relate to, discuss, and most importantly, share, with their friends," says Joe Spiegel, principal, Spinner Asset Management. "With the colorful characters, `family-friendly situations' as well as surprisingly deep strategy and game play involved to catch all 150 characters, Pokemon has all the right elements that make it a cultural icon in a way no video game has in years."

Pokemon, a Japanese concept first introduced in the U.S. in September 1998, has more than 90 licensed companies that make products including trading cards, a best-selling toy line and a new series of children's books. In addition, three All Nippon Airways planes currently feature Pokemon characters. "The Official Pokemon Handbook" is listed in the Top 20 of USA Today's Best-Selling Books, while the Pokemon cartoon, currently airing nationally on the WB network and in syndication, is rated number one for both. It's the first show to hold those spots in a decade (Source: 1999 Nielsen Rating Report). The show's soundtrack album, "2.B.A. Master," has risen to number three on the Children's chart and has shipped 250,000 units in a few weeks. A Pokemon animated feature film, "Pokemon The Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back," is set to debut in North America on November 12.