Mario Kart 7 Now on Tour with Big Time Rush, Nickelodeon's Music Sensation

REDMOND, Wash. --(Business Wire)--

Throughout the summer, Big Time Rush-the teen music phenomenon that stars in Nickelodeon's hit television series Big Time Rush-is working with Nintendo to offer free hands-on demos of Mario Kart 7 for the Nintendo 3DS system at select stops during the band's "Big Time Summer Tour." After weeks of rehearsal and hours of game-play time, the band kicked off the tour on July 5 in Columbus, Ohio, and is currently traveling throughout the United States. From now until Aug. 5, attendees of select Big Time Rush concerts can visit Nintendo 3DS demo stations and experience the game's wild Mario-themed action, multiplayer features and kart customization options firsthand.

In this photo provided by Nintendo of America, Nickelodeon's teen music phenomenon Big Time Rush play Mario Kart 7 on their Nintendo 3DS systems during rehearsal for the band's summer U.S. concert tour, where Nintendo is offering free hands-on demos of Mario Kart 7. Released on Dec. 4, 2011, the game brings the popular Mario Kart series into 3D for the first time in the franchise's 20 year history. (Photo: Business Wire)

A Mario Kart 7 sampling station and mobile sampling teams will be available at participating concert venues, giving fans a unique chance to play the game, enjoy special photo opportunities and compete for prizes. Fans will also be able to download Mii characters based on the members of Big Time Rush-Kendall, Logan, James and Carlos. Additionally, fans who bring their own Nintendo 3DS systems to the concerts will be able to wirelessly access content for Nintendo 3DS via Nintendo Zone hotspots. Additionally, viewers can currently see Big Time Rush in the television ad campaign for Mario Kart 7.

"Big Time Rush fans will discover a new kind of rush when they tear up the track with Mario," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "The frenetic fun of Mario Kart 7 makes a great match with the band's energetic music. The chance to get hands-on with Nintendo 3DS will make each of these concerts even more memorable for attendees, whether they're experienced gamers r newcomers."

"We couldn't be more excited to take Mario Kart 7 out on the road for our tour this summer," said Big Time Rush. "We are all huge Nintendo fans and our new partnership provides a cool way to share the fun of Nintendo 3DS with people all over the country."

Mario Kart 7 is the latest installment in Nintendo's fan-favorite racing franchise, loaded with new customizable karts, new courses and multiplayer options that let up to eight Nintendo 3DS owners race together wirelessly. Players can race as a favorite Mushroom Kingdom character or as their personal Mii character, and for the first time in the series, they can race not only on land but also underwater or in the air. The game also makes use of the unique capabilities of Nintendo 3DS with access to StreetPass and SpotPass* content and the ability to play in full 3D without the need for special glasses.

Mario Kart 7 demo stations will be available at the following Big Time Rush tour dates (subject to change):

July 25: Salt Lake City - USANA Amphitheatre Energy Solutions Arena

July 27: Kansas City, Mo. - Sprint (News - Alert) Center

July 28: Minneapolis - Target Center

July 29: Indianapolis - Klipsch Music Center

July 31: Clarkston, Mich. - DTE Energy Music Theatre

Aug. 1: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio - Blossom Music Center

Aug. 3: Louisville, Ky. - KFC Yum! Center

Aug. 4: Tinley Park, Ill. - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

Aug. 5: Burgettstown, Pa. - First Niagara Pavilion

The launch of the hit Big Time Rush series on Nickelodeon drew 6.8 million viewers, making it the most watched live-action series premiere in the network's history. Now in its third season, Big Time Rush-which follows four best friends from Minnesota who trade in their hockey sticks for music superstardom in Los Angeles-averages 3.6 million total viewers per episode (+2 percent, over season one).

Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.

For more information about Mario Kart 7, visit http://mariokart7.nintendo.com. Additional information about Big Time Rush, including tour details and music videos, can be found at http://www.btrband.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 3.9 billion video games and more than 630 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.

* Internet access required for SpotPass

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