The official press release actually clarifies a few things and offers some new information. You know you want it.
In a nutshell, the press release explicitly states the following: The Triforce arcade game and GameCube game will link by using the Memory Card 59; Amusement Vision (who did the excellent Super Monkey Ball) will develop both games under Nintendo's supervision; Sega will publish the arcade game; Nintendo will publish the GameCube game; both games should be demonstrated at E3 and finally, Amusement Vision apparently initiated the game by their interest in making an arcade title that linked with the a home version.
FOR THE ARCADE AND NINTENDO GAMECUBE
New Game System to Integrate F-ZERO Arcade and Console Entertainment
March 28, 2002 - Tokyo, Japan – SEGA® Corporation and Nintendo Co., Ltd. today announced
that the two companies have teamed up to develop “F-Zero (working title)” video game titles for
the next-generation 3D-CG Triforce arcade board and the Nintendo GameCube™. As part of the
agreement, SEGA and Nintendo will collaborate on the projects using a new game system that
will enable the arcade and console games to interact via “Memory Card 59.” The announcement
builds off the previously announced alliance between SEGA and Nintendo on February 18, 2002
to develop the Triforce arcade board and reinforces the companies’ strategies to integrate arcade
and home console entertainment.
Under the agreement, SEGA and Nintendo will co-develop two new video game titles -
“F-ZERO AC (working title)” for the arcade and “F-ZERO GC (working title)” for Nintendo
GameCube. AMUSEMENT VISION, LTD, a SEGA Studio, will develop the “F-ZERO” games
under the supervision of Nintendo. “F-ZERO AC (working title)” will be published by SEGA
and “F-ZERO GC (working title)” will be published by Nintendo. “F-ZERO” titles will be
unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and released in late 2002. The Triforce
board and Nintendo GameCube are based on the same architecture, and they will be interfaced
through the special peripheral, “Memory Card 59.”
This joint project originated from AMUSEMENT VISION, which had a vision to create
an arcade game that could interact with the Nintendo GameCube. SEGA and Nintendo have now
come together to make this joint project a reality.
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About SEGA
SEGA® of America is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a $3.5 billion corporation by
market capitalization, recognized as a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the
home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of
hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony
Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America’s Web site is located at www.sega.com.
About Nintendo
As the worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co. Ltd., of Kyoto,
Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home video game systems. The systems
include Game Boy®, Nintendo® 64, Game Boy® Advance and NINTENDO GAMECUBE™. Since the release of
its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.4 billion video games worldwide, creating
enduring industry icons such as Mario™ and Donkey Kong® and launching such franchises as Zelda™ and
Pokémon®. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America, Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as
headquarters for Nintendo's operation in the Western Hemisphere.