Horstachios, Fizzlybears, Fudgehogs, Mousemallows, Elephanillas and Pretztails are just a handful of the 60 species of wild pinata, coming to homes this holiday season in Viva Pinata, the highly anticipated Xbox 360 game for kids of all ages. Breaking new ground in Xbox 360 family entertainment, Viva Pinata was shipped to stores on Nov. 9, and it will continue to be rolled out to retailers throughout the U.S. and worldwide through Dec. 2. Created by world-renowned video game developer Rare Ltd. and Microsoft Game Studios exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, the two-disc Viva Pinata Special Edition invites game-players to escape to Pinata Island, where wild-roaming, living pinata animals are looking for a home.

“With the arrival of ‘Viva Pinata,’ we’re opening up Xbox 360 to new audiences and inviting more people to jump into the fun,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “This is a game that will have broad appeal. Families will play it together. Kids will play it by day, and, I’m willing to bet, their parents will play it at night. Even for the seasoned gamer, ‘Viva Pinata’ will be a great escape, and they’ll see it as a guilty pleasure.”

People of all ages will enjoy the vibrant world where they can create and customize their own environment to attract, tame and nurture more than 60 species of wild pinata and make their experience uniquely their own. Packed with hundreds of personalization options, “Viva Pinata” lets people name their piñatas, choose accessories for them to wear, decide where to plant grass and flowers, and more. The colorful, fully customizable game invites people into a world with all kinds of possibilities.

People first experienced the world of “Viva Pinata” in September, with the debut of the Saturday-morning computer-generated animation series produced by 4Kids Entertainment and Bardel Entertainment on 4Kids TV on FOX. The arrival of “Viva Pinata” for Xbox 360 establishes a crossover between the show and the game as people, young and old, tune in to the series to pick up hints and tricks to take back to the game.

“Viva Pinata” gameplay will be extended through the Xbox Live online entertainment network. Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be able to connect with friends, family or other players from around the globe to trade items from their pinata paradise — everything from the smallest plant to the largest pinata. Players with the free Xbox Live Silver membership also can trade items. And Xbox Live will offer accessories for download into the game to personalize piñata collections.

The genesis of the “Viva Pinata” franchise came from Rare Ltd., known for such all-age-friendly games as “Banjo-Kazooie” and “Grabbed by the Ghoulies.” Veteran developers of these games, as well as a new crop of talent, worked together to craft “Viva Pinata” into the fun-filled game available now on store shelves.

“Right from the start, we knew we wanted to create a game that featured a garden full of customizable, tradable animals with unique appearances and behavior patterns,” said Gregg Mayles, lead designer for “Viva Pinata” at Rare Ltd. “When we were looking for a design twist to make it stand out, our concept artist came up with piñata-themed sketches, and the look immediately stuck.”

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