Nintendo Celebrates 25 Years of The Legend of Zelda with Symphony Concert

First Concert Will Be Oct. 21 in Los Angeles, Followed by Full Tour in 2012

REDMOND, Wash.– Nintendo is celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zeldaâ„¢ video game series in style. The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert will be held Oct. 21 at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, and will include songs from the iconic series hand-picked by Nintendo composer Koji Kondo and his team. A full concert tour for The Legend of Zelda will launch in 2012. Ticket prices for the Los Angeles concert start at $35 and will be available starting Aug. 1 at http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0B0046F3F2235ED2.

“The Legend of Zelda has few peers in the pantheon of video game giants, and the games and their music have always shared a deep connection,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Through these concerts, fans nationwide will be able to gather and show their love for the quarter century of action, adventure and excitement that The Legend of Zelda games have brought to their lives.”

A 70-piece orchestra will be joined by a choir to perform new arrangements of a variety of songs from the series’ 25-year history. The concerts will be produced by Jason Michael Paul Productions, Inc., the producers of PLAY! A Video Game Symphony, which has toured the world performing music from video games.

“The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert Tour brings one of the video game industry’s most exciting and enduring franchises to the concert hall and presents what we feel is the definitive concert experience for the series,” said executive producer Jason Michael Paul. “It’s an event that fans and music aficionados won’t want to miss.”

Nintendo’s celebration of the 25th anniversary includes many elements. On June 19, Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time™ 3D game for the Nintendo 3DS™ system, while The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword game for the Wii™ console is planned for this holiday season. In September, Nintendo is offering the multiplayer fun of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords as a free gift to fans. Fans can download a Nintendo DSiWare™ version of the game using their Nintendo DSi™ or Nintendo DSi XL™ systems, or by accessing the Nintendo eShop with a Nintendo 3DS system (wireless broadband Internet access required for download). Additional 25th anniversary activities will be announced throughout 2011.

For more information about the concerts, visit http://www.zelda-symphony.com.

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™ home console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.7 billion video games and more than 600 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ 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.

About Jason Michael Paul Productions, Inc: A pioneer and leader in the live symphonic concert industry, Jason Michael Paul Productions, Inc. has been responsible for producing world-renowned concerts including events for The Three Tenors, Luciano Pavarotti, Dear Friends ~ Music from FINAL FANTASY, More Friends ~ Music from FINAL FANTASY and the currently touring and highly-acclaimed PLAY! A Video Game Symphony.