Editing ChuChu Rocket! (section)

==Promotion and release==

Sega announced ''ChuChu Rocket!'' on September 2, 1999 as [[Sonic Team]]'s second game for the Dreamcast after ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'' (1998).<ref name="unveil" /> Prior to the game's release in Japan in November 1999, Sega promoted the game with a website dedicated to ''ChuChu Rocket!'', and a 15-second commercial advertising the game was solicited to television stations across the country, with the commercial also made available to download through the website.<ref name=":3" /> ''ChuChu Rocket!'' released in Japan on November 11, 1999 and climbed to the top of the Japanese sales charts in its first week on sale, selling 35,000 copies and knocking the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] release of ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'' off the top spot.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> That December, video game magazine ''[[Famitsu]]'' held a contest using a ''ChuChu''-themed minigame for the Dreamcast [[Visual Memory Unit]] (VMU) that could be downloaded from the internet. Players who completed the minigame were given a password to send to ''Famitsu''. Various prizes were given out to winners of the contest, including Dreamcast controllers, VMU stickers, and pens.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" />

In January 2000, Sega of America announced it would bring ''ChuChu Rocket!'' to North America on March 2, 2000, three months earlier than the original anticipated release in June.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10" /> Prior to the North American release of the game, a [[Adobe Shockwave|Shockwave]] demo featuring 30 levels from the game's puzzle mode was made available to play on [[personal computer]]s through Sega's website.<ref name=":11" /> ''ChuChu Rocket!'' was released in North America on March 7, 2000, a week later than had been announced earlier.<ref name="wnn2" /> It retailed for $29.99 in America — below the average for new Dreamcast games.<ref name=":12" /> Sega held an online tournament on March 25, 2000 where players could battle with members of Sonic Team, the Dreamcast network team, and other Sega employees in online matches.<ref name=":13" />

The European and PAL versions were not released until months after the North American release, on June 9, 2000. In Europe, ''ChuChu Rocket!'' was mailed free to subscribers of [[Dreamarena]], the European Dreamcast online gaming service. At the time of the game's release in Europe, Dreamarena had over 25,000 subscribers, despite the absence of online play beforehand.<ref name=":14" />

===Ports===
A port of ''ChuChu Rocket!'' was released as a launch game for the [[Game Boy Advance]] in Japan on March 21, 2001.<ref name=gbaofficial /><ref name= gspotprev /> The release garnered interest as the first game Sega published for a Nintendo system.<ref name= gspotprev /> This version retains all the gameplay modes of the Dreamcast version except online play. Players can use [[Game Link Cable]]s to connect up to four systems together to play using only one cartridge. Sonic Team also selected 2,500 of the 17,000 custom puzzles uploaded to the Dreamcast servers to include in the game. The polygonal graphics from the Dreamcast version are replaced with animated sprites.<ref name= gspotprev /> Players can also edit their own character sprites.<ref name= nlifegba /> This version of ''ChuChu Rocket!'' was re-released on the [[Wii U]] in Japan on October 21, 2015.<ref name="nlifewiiu" /> ''ChuChu Rocket!'' was also included as part of a 2-in-1 Sonic Advance cartridge for the Game Boy Advance released on 11 November 2005.

Sega released [[iOS]] and [[Android (operating system)|Android]] ports of ''ChuChu Rocket!'' in 2010 and 2011.<ref name = itunes /><ref name = 4gameripod /><ref name = desandroid /> The iOS version featured local multiplayer over [[Wi-Fi]].<ref name = toucharcade /><ref name = kym /> Both were removed from purchase in 2015.<ref name = pocketgamer />