Game Boy Advance launches in key Chinese markets!

June 11th, 2004, 20:53 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has continued its strategic move into the Chinese marketplace with the launch of the Game Boy Advance in Shanghai and other parts of the Canton province, accompanied by a localised version of WarioWare Inc.[br][br]The move follows the launch of a specialised Nintendo console designed for the Chinese market, the N64-based iQue, which arrived in China last November accompanied by a number of localised N64 titles sold on encrypted flash memory cards.[br][br]Nintendo's Chinese subsidiary, which is also called iQue, confirmed that it would be seilling the Game Boy Advance along with one localised game in selected parts of the country for 698 yuan - about 70 Euro. Although it has not officially been confirmed, it's thought that the game in question is minigame compilation Wario Ware Inc.[br][br]Game companies have traditionally been shy of the Chinese market due to the incredibly high levels of software piracy in the country; with Nintendo being particularly hard hit by the existence of rogue cartridge production factories in certain provinces.[br][br]However, as Chinese consumers have begun to spend increasingly on media, and the Chinese authorities have demonstrated more willingness to crack down on pirates, game companies have been forced to seriously consider the value of the market. Nintendo has been by far the fastest off the mark, launching the custom-designed iQue late last year ahead of an incredibly troubled roll-out for Sony's PlayStation 2 around Christmas time.[br][br]According to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, China is a key priority for Nintendo going forward, and he hopes to enter the Chinese market fully - with the complete range of Nintendo hardware and software being launched there - within three to four years.

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