REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pikachu is one of the most recognizable video game characters in the world, but sitting down to draw him without a guide is trickier than you might think. Go ahead. Give it a shot.
It was tough, right? Lucky for you and your Pikachu-drawing skills, Pokémon Art Academy is launching exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems on Oct. 24. The game teaches you to draw Pokémon from every known region. By following along with a series of fun step-by-step lessons – starting with simple drawings and leading to more complex techniques – artists of all skill levels can learn to perfect the art of drawing various Pokémon. Many Pokémon images are available in the game, including fan favorites like Treecko, Torchic and Mudkip, the Partner Pokémon from the upcoming Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire games for Nintendo 3DS.
“Pokémon Art Academy makes it easy for people of all ages to learn to draw their favorite characters,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “It’s another example of how Nintendo maximizes the capabilities of its hardware systems to deliver smiles and compelling experiences to consumers in unique ways.”
In the game, you take on the role of a young aspiring artist who enrolls in Pokémon Art Academy to learn how to draw Pokémon under the tutelage of Professor Andy. Starting with novice lessons that teach simple line drawing and coloring, you will eventually learn more advanced techniques like shading and light sourcing, using all sorts of tools like colored pencils, markers and pastels. After graduating from the academy, you’ll gain access to a special set of lessons that include Mega-Evolved Pokémon.
Creating any work of art is so inherently satisfying that you always want to share your finished product with friends and family members. Pokémon Art Academy makes it easy to share all of your artistic creations. If you have a wireless broadband Internet connection, you can directly post drawings to Miiverse on Nintendo 3DS. You can also share via local wireless or even save your art to an SD card and print out your colorful creations to post on your bedroom wall or refrigerator.
Pokémon Art Academy launches Oct. 24 in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS at a suggested retail price of $29.99. You may also pre-order a digital version of the game at http://www.nintendo.com/eshop/buy-digital or purchase the digital version once the game launches and have it sent directly to your device. For more information about Pokémon Art Academy, visit http://artacademy.nintendo.com/pokemon/.
If you purchase Pokémon Art Academy exclusively in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo 2DS, you will receive a code to download the free Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Special Demo Version (download codes are available while supplies last). Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, the next games in the beloved Pokémon series, both launch on Nov. 21.
Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.
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 U™ and Wii™ home consoles, and Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ families of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.2 billion video games and more than 670 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™ and Wii 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 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 Avila at 213-438-8742 or dtalamantezavila@golin.com. Users can receive instant Nintendo information by subscribing to the site’s RSS feed.
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 http://www.pokemon.com.