Nintendo Announces New Online Activities for 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda

Zelda Developers to Judge Top Consumer-Created Flipnote Studio Animations

REDMOND, Wash.--()--The 25th anniversary celebration of The Legend of Zelda continues with the launch of a new website and a creative challenge for fans of the iconic Nintendo series. For 25 years The Legend of Zelda has chronicled the adventures of heroic Link and Princess Zelda. Now fans can share their passion for the series and document its history with a new 25th anniversary website at http://www.zelda.com/25th. The anniversary website includes an interactive history of The Legend of Zelda, as well as a video featuring an orchestra performing music from the series at the 2011 E3 Expo.

Starting today through Sept. 9, Nintendo DSi or Nintendo DSi XL owners are also invited to create their own flipnotes, or short animations, inspired by The Legend of Zelda series. Nintendo DSi or Nintendo DSi XL owners can use one of three flipnote templates with music from The Legend of Zelda series, then complete and upload their creations via the Flipnote Studio application. Flipnote Studio is available as a free download from the Nintendo DSiWare service, and also comes pre-installed on select Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL hardware. Fans can also submit a paper entry by mail. The best Zelda-themed flipnotes will be evaluated by key Nintendo developers who have worked on the series – including Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, Eiji Aonuma and Yoshiaki Koizumi – and posted for fans to enjoy on the http://www.zelda.com/25th website, the Nintendo Channel on the Wii console and Flipnote Hatena on Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL systems. For official rules, visit http://www.zelda.com/25th/flipnote.

Nintendo’s 25th anniversary celebration also includes the recent launch of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D game for the Nintendo 3DS system, which lets players explore a vastly upgraded classic game in full 3D without the need for special glasses. Later this year, Nintendo will launch The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii system. In September, Nintendo is offering the multiplayer fun of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords as a free gift to fans. Fans can download a Nintendo DSiWare version of the game using their Nintendo DSi or Nintendo DSi XL systems, or by accessing the Nintendo eShop with a Nintendo 3DS system (wireless broadband Internet access required for download).

For more information about the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, visit http://www.zelda.com/25th.

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 Wiihome 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 GameCubesystems. 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.

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 dtalamantez@golinharris.com. Users can receive instant Nintendo information by subscribing to the site’s RSS feed.

Contacts

GOLIN HARRIS
Andrew Kelly, 415-318-4373
ankelly@golinharris.com
or
Kristie Tomkins, 213-438-8830
ktomkins@golinharris.com

Contacts

GOLIN HARRIS
Andrew Kelly, 415-318-4373
ankelly@golinharris.com
or
Kristie Tomkins, 213-438-8830
ktomkins@golinharris.com