Nintendo joins forces with American Heart Association
Association's branding to appear on Wii console packaging and games from this summer
The American Heart Association and Nintendo of America have teamed up in order to help educate people about physical activities that could be beneficial to their health.
Their joint initiative will begin with Heart Association branding being introduced to the boxes of Wii Fit Plus, Wii Sports Resort and the Wii console from this summer.
An online information centre will also be launched jointly where visitors will be able to read about the benefits of physically active play and the two will hold a summit of leaders from the areas of health care, research, fitness and gaming later in the year.
"Our two organisations come from different worlds, but we share a common goal," said Clyde Yancy MD, president of the American Heart Association.
"Showing people accessible ways to stay active has been a part of our mission for decades, but our research tells us nearly 70 percent of Americans are getting no regular physical activity.
"As an organisation we are looking for ways to change this. Nintendo has demonstrated clear leadership in active-play video games with the popularity of the Wii system, and I'm confident that together we can encourage Americans to become more physically active."
"Nintendo has been helping people get up off the couch and get playing since the Wii system launched in 2006," added Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing.
"By joining forces with the American Heart Association, we further our commitment to bringing fun and accessible active-play video games to a broader audience."
One of the people involved with the development of the new summit is Michael D Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, who said that the partnership marked an "extraordinary opportunity".
"This alliance between Nintendo and the American Heart Association marks an extraordinary opportunity, not only for both groups but for the interactive entertainment software industry at large," he said.
"At a time when most Americans could benefit from more regular physical exercise, these high-profile efforts to promote healthy entertainment help to make active-play video games even more appealing to consumers of all kinds."