Press Release
YAHOO! GAMES SHOWS ITS HAND AS YAHOO! POKER DEBUTS AT E3 EXPO

Flagship Title Features New Multiplayer, PC-to-Mobile Capabilities and Avatar Integration

Sunnyvale, CA – May 16, 2005 – At this year’s Electronic Entertainment Exposition (E3), Yahoo! Games, the leading online games site[1] (http://games.yahoo.com), will debut next generation multiplayer games, featuring Yahoo! Poker, which exemplifies the exciting new titles coming from Yahoo! Games. Yahoo! Poker is one of the first PC-to-mobile games available in the U.S., allowing players to get in a game of poker virtually anytime, anywhere, on any device.

“Yahoo! Games is thrilled to provide gamers of all ages and tastes – from casual games to PC video games - a sneak peek at our new games and services with a spotlight on Yahoo! Poker, our marquee new game,” said Geoff Graber, general manager, Yahoo! Games.  “Yahoo! Poker’s innovative PC-to-mobile technology makes it possible to never miss poker night again by providing a portable connection to thousands of players worldwide on their PCs.”

Yahoo! Poker Integrates Yahoo! Games’ New Features and Services
Yahoo! Poker is a Texas Hold ’Em game that enables up to 10 people to play at once, connected with their mobile phones or through Yahoo! Games on their PC.  Most new mobile phone handsets will feature Yahoo! Poker in the games selection menu, starting with Sprint handsets this summer.  The game offers multiple game play options, including a tournament-style no-limit multiplayer game like the pros play, as well as a single-player career mode that takes a player through five different casinos.

Yahoo! Poker integrates Yahoo! Avatars, graphical and customizable characters that millions of consumers have already created to represent themselves while connecting to friends and family online, to make the multiplayer game more engaging.
 
“The merger of mobile and online games offers a number of interesting possibilities,” noted Schelley Olhava, IDC Program Manager. “I think PC-to-mobile game play gives the wireless gamer an incentive for multi-player gaming, knowing that a base of PC online gamers are ready to play.”

World’s Best Touring Poker Professionals Grace E3 booth
The poker world is so excited about Yahoo! Poker that professional players Phil Laak and Antonio Esfandiari, as well as an additional surprise poker superstar, will be in Yahoo!’s E3 booth to teach poker tips and tricks to convention attendees.  Yahoo! Games will also have game stations in Chicago’s Union Station so passersby can get into the E3 action and play Yahoo! Poker with the pros.

About Yahoo! Games
Yahoo! Games (http://games.yahoo.com) is the leading destination for online games with one of the largest game communities on the Internet. Millions of new users and gamers of all types visit Yahoo! Games each month to play and to discover the best in games. Yahoo! Games’ industry leading and extremely popular casual games area attracts users who enjoy downtime with popular games like card, arcade, word and board to play alone or with others, as well as playing and trying out the latest downloadable games. Yahoo! Games also gives hard core video gamers what they want, from the latest game news, cheats, tips, previews and other exclusive game information, to helping them easily connect with friends to play their favorite multiplayer games. Game fans who want Yahoo! Games wherever whenever have Yahoo! Mobile Games, available on most major carriers.
 
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - News) is a leading provider of comprehensive online products and services to consumers and businesses worldwide. Yahoo! is the No. 1 Internet brand globally and the most trafficked Internet destination worldwide. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Yahoo!'s global network includes 25 world properties and is available in 13 languages.