Pokémon Black Version/White Version

??BELLEVUE, Wash. - January 3, 2011-The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo are giving fans the opportunity to get a jump start in Pokémon™ Black Version and Pokémon White Version video games with a special character distribution at all U.S. and Canadian GameStop stores.  Starting today through February 6, 2011, Pokémon players can add a Legendary Trio of treasured Shiny Pokémon-Raikou™, Entei™, and Suicune™-for their English language versions of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, or SoulSilver Version games.  Transfer any one of the Legendary Trio into Pokémon Black Version or Pokémon White Version to unlock the opportunity to encounter a brand-new elusive Pokémon!  

Receiving any of the Shiny Legendary Trio is a treat for Pokémon Trainers, and even more exciting is the chance to catch the mysterious Illusion Fox Pokémon Zoroark™, a Pokémon that cannot be obtained through normal gameplay-for Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version.  Make sure you are one step ahead of Zoroark when the new video games launch for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems on March 6, 2011!  

Pokémon fans will also see Zoroark, along with the Tricky Fox Pokémon, Zorua™, in a brand new Pokémon feature film, Pokémon-Zoroark: Master of Illusions, premiering on Cartoon Network in February.  The movie begins with the Legendary Trio, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, wreaking havoc on the unsuspecting residents of Crown City.  Do the new Dark-type Pokémon Zoroark and Zorua have anything to do with this chaos?

Details for receiving the Shiny Legendary Trio: 

What: Shiny Raikou, Shiny Entei, and Shiny Suicune character distribution

Where: U.S. and Canadian GameStop stores.

When:  Shiny Raikou-January 3 through January 9, 2011

Shiny Entei-January 17 through January 23, 2011 

Shiny Suicune-January 31 through February 6, 2011

How: Players must have a Nintendo DS™ system and their own copy of the English language versions of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold or SoulSilver Version video games (each sold separately).

Players must have acquired the Pokédex within their game.

Players must have no more than two Wonder Cards in their possession.

Visit any U.S. or Canadian GameStop during the designated distribution period.

More information on how to encounter Zorua in Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version will be coming soon. 

For more information about the Shiny Legendary Trio distribution and new Pokémon characters from Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version visit www.pokemon.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 www.pokemon.com.

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 and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.3 billion video games and more than 558 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, 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 www.nintendo.com.

Contact:

David Welch/Brian Reinert

BENDER/HELPER IMPACT

212-689-6360

David_Welch@bhimpact.com

Brian_Reinert@bhimpact.com