Six Flags and Nintendo Join Forces

[rjholla2003]

From the news feed:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070123/aqtu035.html?.v=1

Press Release   Source: Six Flags, Inc.,

Six Flags and Nintendo Announce Strategic Marketing Alliance
Tuesday January 23, 8:30 am ET
Nintendo's Wii Video Game System Will Be the Official Gaming Console of Six Flags; Wii Gaming Stations at Six Flags Parks Will Offer Complimentary Game-Playing

NEW YORK, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Six Flags (NYSE: SIX - News) and Nintendo of America today announced a sponsorship and marketing agreement under which the Wii video game system will be the Official Gaming Console of Six Flags parks and Six Flags will offer complimentary game-playing at Wii Gaming Stations throughout select Six Flags-branded theme parks. In addition, the companies will collaborate on marketing initiatives, including a national sweepstakes promotion for Six Flags on Nintendo.com.

Nintendo's new Wii system became one of the hottest gifts this holiday. Consumers purchased more than a million Wii consoles in just the 44 days between U.S. launch and year end -- which represented every Wii console available at retail. As its popularity reflects, Nintendo's unique system brings gaming to the masses by providing something for everyone, from the most seasoned gamer to those experiencing video games for the first time.

"This agreement with Nintendo enables us to partner with a company, and a product, that has major relevance in the lives of today's families. When this audience is not in our parks, more often than not they are at home playing video games -- and now they can do both in one place as we continue to build Six Flags into a supermarket of entertainment," said Mark Shapiro, Six Flags President and CEO. "This alliance further illustrates our intent to partner with trusted and valued consumer brands that will increase our touch points and expand our reach."

"We look forward to continuing to build the Wii's leadership position in video gaming by making the system available to millions of guests who visit Six Flags every year," said Perrin Kaplan of Nintendo America. "The Wii system is dedicated to reaching a broad audience, and we look forward to sharing the ultimate gaming system with Six Flags guests beginning in 2007."

Six Flags, Inc., founded in 1961, is the world's largest regional theme park company. Six Flags, Inc. is a publicly-traded corporation (NYSE: SIX - News) headquartered in New York City.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii(TM), Nintendo DS(TM), Game Boy? Advance and Nintendo GameCube(TM) systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario(TM), Donkey Kong?, Metroid?, Zelda(TM) and Pokemon?. 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.

[ChuckR]

Yes! Now if it get's too crowded at the park I can just play Wii for a bit.

I wonder if this means they can do any rides based on the Nintendo characters?

[gorf1000]

hmmm... maybe some season pass discounts on a Wii?

[KingdaKaRuler05]

This is great...I hope this comes to GAdv so I can finally play Wii!

-KKR05

[Dubya91]

So whos my first Wii Sports victim?

[rjholla2003]

I'll kill you in Wii Sports.  I got plenty of practice at Garden State Plaza over winter break, lol.

[Dubya91]

Heh, ITS ON!

This can be good, when i first saw this i was thinking more of the lines as a BIG sponsorship, like SuperMario: Ultimate Flight

[coastermom]

i got one for you  mariokart race tracks in the kiddie areas . I can't wait to see how they are going to do this with the wii . Aren't the remotes cord less and easy to walk away with?? I know in the nintendo store in the city you have to give ID to play with the wii remotes.

[ChuckR]

I'm sure they will figure something out with Nintendo.

[rjholla2003]

At Garden State Plaza, they had an Wii ambassador at the Wii Station at all times (sometimes 2), and the controllers were attached to the display booths with steel threads.  The threads themselves won't stop someone who really wants to steal the controllers, but it'll slow them down enough to get caught for sure.