Sega Corporation has announced that it has reached an agreement with THQ to jointly publish and develop games for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. Under the terms of the agreement, which lasts through March 2003 and covers the North American market, THQ will co-publish and market atleast 16 games for the GBA. The first six titles, Sonic Advance, Columns Crown, The House of the Dead Pinball, Puyo Pop, Smash Pack, and an unnamed MLB licensed game, will be released by March 2002. According to Sega, the Smash Pack will be very similar to the one released for the Dreamcast, which included such classic Genesis games as Vectorman, Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi, Streets of Rage 2, Phantasy Star 2, Shining Force, and Wrestle War.

　　"Sega has a long and storied history of software innovation," stated Brian Farrell, president and CEO of THQ. "We look forward to expanding our leadership position in the handheld category by bringing some of their leading brands including Sonic and Major League Baseball to Game Boy Advance."

　　"For years, we have had a huge cult following...gamers who have stayed committed to the brand and content, and are the soul of Sega," said Peter Moore, president and COO of Sega of America. "This alliance helps us bring the Sega experience to an expanded universe of gamers. Using THQ's unparalleled know-how with the GBA platform even better positions us to meet our long term goals in the shortest amount of time."

　　The agreement allows Sega to have a strong presence on the Game Boy Advance, while retaining its primary focus on console platforms such as the Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Microsoft Xbox. Although Sega is developing the six announced GBA games, the remaining 10 games, which will cover both classic and new Sega properties, will be co-developed using THQ resources. Additionally, the two companies said that the agreement could be extended geographically on a case-by-case basis.