Ignition Entertainment, a worldwide developer and publisher of interactive software, announced today that it has entered into a long-term partnership with Japanese publisher Marvelous Entertainment to bring many of its cult classic arcade games to North America. The first games the companies will partner on include: Bubble Bobble Double Shot for Nintendo DS™, New Zealand Story Revolution for Nintendo DS™ and Rainbow Island Evolution for PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. The games will be released in North America in early 2008.

“These games have such classic arcade appeal you will be looking for the slot to put your quarter,” said Ajay Chadha, President of Ignition Entertainment’s US Operations. “Few games stand the test of time, but these three games do. They are iconic classics that every DS and

PSP system owner must have and we are honored to partner with Marvelous to bring them to North America.”

"Marvelous is very excited to work with Ignition Entertainment for the release of these three classic titles in the US,” said Yasuhiro Wada, President of Marvelous Digital Content Company. "Ignition is a really engaged publisher and we are confident that their contribution to these titles will prove to be a success."

Bubble Bobble Double Shot for Nintendo DS™

Bub and Bob are back! Bubble Bobble Double Shot is a respectful return to the series’ roots, bringing Bubble Bobble to the DS with new additions to the classic formula. Based on the original Bubble Bobble arcade game first released in 1986, Bubble Bobble Double Shot stars the two Bubble Dragons, Bub and Bob who move over a system of platforms, busting and pushing bubbles, avoiding enemies and collecting a variety of power-ups. Bubble Bobble Double Shot for DS features a perfect re-creation of Bubble Bobble’s frantic platforming gameplay, complete with all the secrets and fun gameplay that made the original such a rewarding game to master.

Rainbow Islands Evolution for the PSP® system

A cult classic arcade game from Taito, Rainbow Islands Evolution for the PSP system is another sequel in the Bubble Bobble franchise. Set once again in Rainbow Islands, Bub and Bob are now under the shadow of an evil record company who is polluting the ecosystem with a constant, mass-produced musical dirge. Only Bub and Bob have the experience to take on the record company and its seven bosses, setting the stage for a new adventure. The strict vertical ascents of the original have been expanded and extrapolated into three dimensions, with each level’s building-block platforms now following perspective and disappearing into the distance.

New Zealand Story Revolution for Nintendo DS™

New Zealand Story Revolution is an accurate re-telling of the timeless 1988 original, The New Zealand Story. Starring Tiki, a plucky Kiwi bird, the gameplay revolves around him rescuing his kidnapped friends from the clutches of a villainous leopard seal. The setting for each of the game’s levels remains untouched from the classic game, though the layouts will be remixed to provide fresh new challenges. The game offers updated high-quality graphics, while also retaining the clean lines of its arcade ancestor.