Burlingame, Calif., February 18, 2010 – Natsume, a worldwide developer and publisher of family-oriented video games, announced today that as the popular Harvest Moon franchise closes in on its 12th anniversary this summer, two games in the franchise are currently among the most avidly-played Nintendo Wii games*. Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility, which launched in the fall of 2008, has consistently been on the top 10 list of games that are played the longest, with an average playing time of 49 hours per player, and a total of 1,726,252 hours logged by Nintendo Channel users†. Not far behind it, Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, which launched in late 2009, already has an average playing time of more than 39 hours per player†.

“We feel honored that our fans have get so much enjoyment out of each Harvest Moon game,” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume. “It's truly a testament to the depth and endless playability that has made this series such a long-running success."

The Harvest Moon series began more than 11 years ago when it launched on the Super Nintendo. Since then, the RPG/Simulation series has garnered a large and loyal fan base, and has appeared on most every home and handheld console available, including GameBoy, GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advance, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PlayStation, PlayStation2, PSP, and the Nintendo Wii.

The games are usually set in rural towns packed with interesting and friendly characters. The player builds a successful farm, woos a spouse, has children and stats a family. The games are great for players of all ages because they provide wholesome, non-violent entertainment anyone in the family can enjoy. To date, the series has sold millions of units in North America alone.

Natsume announced last month that Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley, its next iteration in the Harvest Moon series, will be launching in April for the PSP.

For more information on any of Natsume’s Harvest Moon titles or Harvest Moon: Hero Of Leaf Valley, please visit www.natsume.com. You can also follow all of the latest Natsume news at www.natsume.com/facebook and www.twitter.com/natsume_inc. Additional information on Harvest Moon: Hero Of Leaf Valley can also be found below:

Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley (PSP)

Leaf Valley is in trouble! The heartless Funland Corporation is going to bulldoze the town and replace it with an amusement park unless its citizens can find a way to stop them! Players will need to grow crops, raise animals, and mine ores and gems to help save Leaf Valley and their family farm. Along the way, they'll earn money and develop their skills in interactive part-time jobs, and build their relationships with the villagers in order to gain their trust and help. With a branching story with multiple endings, how players choose to save the town is up to them!

Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley will be available at retail this April for an MSRP of $29.99 and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

*Data taken from the Wii Nintendo Channel and analyzed by Kotaku ( www.kotaku.com).

†Numbers current as of February 9, 2010.

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About Natsume

Natsume Inc. is a worldwide developer and publisher that specialize in unique and family-oriented interactive entertainment software for a variety of platforms. Most known for publishing Reel Fishing and Harvest Moon, Natsume is dedicated to producing quality video games. For more information about Natsume Inc., visit www.natsume.com

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