Microsoft, Rare, 4Kids To Launch Viva Pinata Game, Cartoon

In the latest major Xbox 360 game announcement, Microsoft Game Studios and 4Kids Entertainment have announced new Rare-created kids' property Viva Pinata, which will appear on both an Xbox 360-exclusive game, to launch this holiday season, and a Saturday morning 3-D animated television series, debuting this autumn in the U.S. According to the companies, Viva Pinata "brings a vibrant world of living pinata animals to video games, television and beyond", and the Xbox 360 title invites gamers to "explore an immersive world where they are challenged to create and maintain a living garden ecosystem that grows in real time." The game's explanation continues: "Beginning with a few basic tools, players build and take control of their environment to attract and host more than 60 species of wild pinata, utilizing hundreds of customizable elements to create their very own distinctively unique thriving paradise." The Viva Pinata TV series will will premiere this fall on 4Kids TV on U.S. network Fox, produced and created by 4Kids Entertainment, known for cartoon versions of properties such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon, Cabbage Patch Kids and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In addition, Viva Pinata's 4Kids Entertainment licensing program, part of a deal officially announced in January, will result in additional licensed products launching in 2007. "With Viva Pinata, we are introducing a revolutionary brand that will entertain, inspire and excite children, families and creative minds around the globe," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp. "With Rare and 4Kids Entertainment we will best showcase the vibrant world of Viva Pinata, enabling a mass audience to have an immersive experience via the animated television series, the Xbox 360 title and related merchandise."