Pokemon USA, Inc., the worldwide leader in trading card games and video games, today announced details for both the 2008 Pokemon(R) Trading Card Game (TCG) World Championships as well as the first-ever Pokemon Video Game Showdown, which will pit the most skilled Pokemon video game players from the U.S. and Japan against one another in a battle to determine the ultimate champion. Both events will take place August 16-17 at the Hilton in the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, bringing together hundreds of Pokemon fans from around the globe.

The Pokemon Video Game Showdown will feature 64 of the most talented players from the U.S. and Japan competing in two different age divisions. U.S. qualifiers were selected from two regional tournaments held in Los Angeles and New York on July 12 and July 19, respectively. Over 1,000 players from ages 6 to 43 came from all over the country to battle playing Pokemon Diamond or Pokemon Pearl for the opportunity to compete against the best players from Japan. Participants will strive for the chance to call themselves a champion and win a grand prize that includes a six-day vacation package for four to New York City, Honolulu, or Tokyo. Runners up will win custom Nintendo DS(TM) game systems and special Pokemon prize packs.

The 2008 Pokemon Trading Card Game World Championships follow a record-setting U.S. National Championships in June, which drew nearly 1,000 competitors. Hundreds of players from nearly 30 countries will compete in the invite-only event for the title of Pokemon TCG World Champion. The top 32 winners in each of the three age divisions will be awarded various Pokemon prizes and merchandise, including scholarship awards worth more than $100,000.

Pokemon has proved its dominance over the past 10 years as one of the most successful kid's franchises of all-time. The Pokemon animated series is broadcast in more than 30 countries in over 25 languages. Nintendo's Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl games sold more than 1 million copies in the first five days and more than 14 million copies since their launch. The Pokemon Trading Card Game is the number one collectible trading card game and boasts over 80,000 organized play members. Both championship events will promote the fun of the trading card and video games as players are required to use skill, strategy, and creativity to play.

Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/