NAMCO BANDAI GAMES ANNOUNCES NEW MANAGEMENT IN THE NEW YEAR

Leading Video Game Publisher Starts the Year Off Right with a New Hire and Exciting Changes to Management in 2007

SANTA CLARA, Calif., (January 17, 2007) – A new year means new management for leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. as they announced today a new hire to oversee all business development as well as some exciting new promotions within management. Namco Bandai Games, which just last year brought two companies together and an ambitious and successful merger, expect to have even greater success in 2007 with a strong management team now in place.

In the company’s efforts to continue to bring unique and original content to future products, Zack Karlsson, formerly of Sigil Games Online and before that Sony Online Entertainment, has been hired to oversee all new business development as Business Development Director. This instrumental new hire reinforces the company’s fierce commitment to the development of new intellectual properties as Karlsson will focus on building solid relationships with development studios as well as exploring new online revenue streams.

“We are thrilled to have Zack on board as he brings over a decade of industry experience and passion to the table. We believe his dedication to video games and his wealth of knowledge in MMO’s and PC titles will open up new paths for original content at Namco Bandai Games in 2007,” Genichi Ito, President and CEO of Namco Bandai Games said. “This new hire supports our company’s continued focus to developing unique and original content as Namco Bandai Games stands to be a top competitor in the marketplace in 2007 and beyond.”

Before joining Namco Bandai Games, Karlsson was the Director of Business Development at Sigil Games Online where he spearheaded acquisitions on a number of successful new IP’s as well as having an integral part in the launch of the MMOG, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. Prior to joining Sigil Games, Karlsson held many positions at Sony Online Entertainment including International Customer Service Manager where he was strategic in implementing SOE’s global strategy on EverQuest, EverQuest Online Adventures, Planetside, and Star Wars Galaxies.

On the promotion front, Makoto Iwai has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and will oversee Business Development, Marketing and Public Relations, Sales, and all functional groups under Development. Since Iwai joined NBGA in August, 2006, he has strengthened the Development departments with effective strategies and processes which in turn led the company to greater success in 2006. Iwai brings a wealth of experience, as his background was that of a General Manager for Sony Computer Entertainment responsible for Product Development for the Korean market, as well as a management member of the company.

Shuji Nakata has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and will assume responsibility for the Human Resources, and Legal Departments, as well as continuing to oversee Finance and Operations. Since joining NBGA in January 2006 from the Koei Corporation where he served as the Senior Vice President, Nakata has been instrumental in making organizational changes that have significantly improved profitability. Prior to that, he served for nine years in senior management roles at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta and Tokyo, where he led acquisitions and restructured the bottling operations. Nakata began his career at Sanwa Bank Ltd in Corporate Investment Banking, and also worked for KPMG Peat Marwick as a senior auditor.

“Playing is believing at Namco Bandai Games and we believe that our strong management team will pave the way to continued success and increased revenue for Namco Bandai Games in 2007,” Ito said.

About NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. is an interactive entertainment software publisher and developer based in Santa Clara, CA. The company is a subsidiary of the newly formed NAMCO BANDAI Holdings (USA) Inc. based in Cypress, CA.

On September 29, 2005, Bandai Co., Ltd. and NAMCO LIMITED implemented a management integration to form NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc. This step was taken to compete more effectively on the global stage in the fast-changing entertainment industry and to deliver further growth.

The resulting BANDAI NAMCO Group is a global entertainment group involved in business fields ranging from toys, amusement facilities, video game software and visual software, to apparel, sundries and network content.

Press Release © 2007 NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. All Rights Reserved.