News

Anime comes to GBA

We actually missed this when it first came out a couple of weeks ago. It seems that 4Kids Entertainment is planning a novel system of distributing Anime on Game Boy Advanced cartridges. Watcheable Anime, not games based on Anime.

GBA-TV cartridges will retail for about $20 and contain 2 episodes each. 4 Kids plans to release 2 episodes per disc.

4Kids has not responded to ANN enquiries for further details.

4 Kids Entertainment (NYSE: KDE) announced today [May 13^th] the debut of GBA-TV, an exciting new application for the estimated installed base of 12 million Game Boy(R) Advance systems.
GBA-TV cartridges containing cartoon episodes play on Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP systems in the same manner as video game cartridges. Special proprietary technology developed by the 4Kids Entertainment subsidiary, 4Kids Technology, Inc., enables kids to watch the cartoons contained in the GBA-TV cartridges on their Game Boy Advance. The technology enables the Game Boy Advance to function as a personal video player with the Game Boy controls allowing the viewer to Pause, Resume, Stop, Rewind and Chapter Search each of the television episodes on the GBA-TV cartridge. There is no need to buy any adapter. 4Kids intends to roll out GBA-TV cartridges at retail in the 4th quarter 2003. Each GBA-TV cartridge is expected to retail for under $20 and feature two television episodes from popular animated kids programs such as Pokémon(R), Kirby: Right Back At Ya!(TM) and Yu-Gi-Oh!(TM) 4Kids has set the upcoming E3 Expo (May 14-16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center) to debut content from the first GBA-TV shows.

"There will be more than games to the Game Boy Advance," said Al Kahn, Chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment. "GBA-TV will be an exciting, new way in which kids can enjoy some of today's best animated entertainment. We are delighted to join with Nintendo in enabling Game Boy Advance, the top portable video game system, to also serve as a portable video player." "4Kids Entertainment has developed a new and valuable dimension to Game Boy Advance with the launch of GBA-TV," said Peter MacDougall, Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing for Nintendo. "Now kids can watch their favorite cartoons and play their favorite Game Boy video games anywhere, anytime." GBA-TV is a trademark of Nintendo. All Rights Reserved. Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP are registered trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc.