New Nintendo Game Could Spur 'Santa Shortage'; Record Advance Orders for Diddy Kong Racing.

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 20, 1997--Nintendo's eagerly-anticipated blockbuster title, the combined action/racing title Diddy Kong Racing for the Nintendo 64 system, is stacking up to be the hottest selling game -- and perhaps the hottest selling of all kids' presents -- for the holidays.

Nintendo of America projects sales of 1.5 million copies of the game in just the five weeks between its Nov. 24 launch and Christmas Day, meaning the game will sell non-stop at retail at the rate of one copy every two seconds. That translates to a monthly "gross" of $90 million, putting it in the category of a major Hollywood hit movie.

"Diddy Kong Racing offers gamers of all ages so much more than other games that it is very likely no other video game -- for console or personal computer -- will match its level of sell-through in the weeks leading up to Christmas", says leading industry analyst Sean McGowan of Gerard, Klauer, Mattison and Co.

Nintendo reports that one of the nation's leading retailers is on track to collect as many as 100,000 advance cash deposits for the game, which goes on sale next Monday. No video game in history has ever recorded this level of consumer activity before launch.

"Traditionally, the best pre-sale activity is built behind games whose development consumers have been following for a couple of years, or those which have already launched very successfully in other parts of the world," says Peter Main, Nintendo executive vice president of sales and marketing. "But Diddy Kong Racing will launch simultaneously in Europe, North America and Japan next week. And until last Labor Day, no one even knew this game existed. The word-of-mouth has been positively unprecedented."

"Right now, we're confident inventories are sufficient to meet demand through the holidays, but we'll know more in the first week following launch," he adds.

"Aside from the Nintendo name, I think what's driving demand is its wide range of appeal," says Howard Lincoln, chairman of Nintendo of America. "There are a lot of single-player games this season featuring dark or violent themes for the prototypical Generation X'er, but Diddy Kong Racing is something that seven-year-olds and their 77-year old great-grandmothers -- in addition to the hard core gamers -- can enjoy together."

To date, the country's two best selling video games of 1997 are Super Mario 64, and Mario Kart 64, both for the Nintendo 64 system. Diddy Kong Racing combines the game play features of both, requiring players to explore a vivid, three dimensional island to collect the tokens necessary to race along 20 different courses. Up to four players can choose between a go-kart, hovercraft or single-engine airplane to run the courses, or pursue each other in battle mode. Diddy Kong Racing has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $59.95.

Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, is the leader in the worldwide $15 billion retail video game industry. Nintendo manufactures and markets hardware and software for its best-selling home video game systems, including the hand-held Game Boy, the 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and the 64-bit Nintendo 64, the fastest selling video game system in history. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere, where more than 40 percent of American households own a Nintendo game system. For more information about Nintendo 64, or any other Nintendo product, visit Nintendo's Internet site, www.nintendo.com .

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