They invaded. They evolved. And now they'll be traded - across oceans, and without regard for national borders or native tongue.Nintendo today announces the Pokémon GTS (Global Trade Station) Web site goes online worldwide Sept. 15 and will be a great resource for Pokémon fans interested in learning more about trading their favorite characters.
The Global Trade Station already allows the trade of millions of Pokémon between trainers worldwide. Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl are the fastest-selling games in the history of the series, with worldwide sales in excess of 10 million games. Players use their Nintendo DS portable game systems to link wirelessly to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, allowing them to scan which Pokémon are available from different nations and offer to trade with other players.
The new Pokémon Global Trade Station Web site, www.pokemon-gts.net, can be reached via any Internet-connected computer. The site will let users see which Pokémon are the most popular to trade, provide statistics about the number of trades completed and allow them to bookmark their favorite Pokémon. The site will operate in seven different languages and inform users about the nation they're "visiting" electronically. Visitors can even listen to audio files to learn how to say "hello" and "thank you" in select countries languages.
"Pokémon is now truly global in nature," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "A Pokémon Trainer from Chicago can be traveling in Sydney and trade one of their Pokémon with another owner in Helsinki."Pokémon USA, Inc., a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia which includes licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, an animated TV series, home entertainment, the official Pokémon Web site and an online retail center www.pokemoncenter.com. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 for play on Nintendo's Game Boy and has since evolved into a global cultural phenomenon. Pokémon was introduced in North America in September 1998 and today is one of the most popular toy and entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visit www.pokemon.com.
The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.4 billion video games and more than 420 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like 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, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.