Namco Arcade

19th January 2010, London, UK – Namco Bandai Networks Europe, a leading developer and publisher of mobile games, today announced the launch of an innovative new digital delivery channel, Namco Arcade, on Facebook. Namco Arcade, available at http://apps.facebook.com/namcoarcade, allows users to try mobile games, including the award-winning PAC-MAN™ CE, on the world’s most popular social networking site. Users can then choose to purchase the game, sending it directly to their mobile phone.

Working in partnership with social network discovery experts, Mplayit, Namco Bandai Networks Europe has developed Namco Arcade to deliver a range of exciting titles to a new casual gaming audience. Playing in the Namco Arcade booth, users can write mini-reviews, become a fan of those games they just can’t walk away from, and share them over Facebook, Twitter, Digg and email.

Facebook users will be given exclusive online access to Namco’s games, and becoming a fan of the application will let users write reviews and meet like-minded fans.

Namco Arcade will feature highly acclaimed titles such as PAC-MAN™ CE, which sees the most iconic character in gaming history tackle dynamically evolving mazes and six different game modes, all displayed in rich, detailed graphics with dazzling visual effects. At launch, other titles include Rolling with Katamari, Namco Arcade Golf, PAC-MAN™ Pinball 2, Time Crisis Elite, and many more. Namco Arcade will also see the return of Ridge Racer to mobile gaming, with Ridge Racer Drift arriving soon.

Barry O’Neill, President of Namco Bandai Networks Europe, commented, “Namco Arcade is a great way for us to complement the traditional carrier channels of our distribution partners with an alternative channel for users to try and buy our games.” He continued, “Integrating social networks into our distribution channels was an obvious move. Facebook has a user base of 350 million, many of whom love casual gaming. Namco Arcade is a great way for us to reach a whole new audience, and allows us to reduce the overall cost to customers, while offering a new level of service and interactivity. The ability to discover and share games easily will be a key driver for the mobile games market in the future.”

Michael Powers, Founder and CEO of Mplayit, said, “Social networks have transformed the online experience for everyone. Our powerful, flexible platform leverages the power of the social web to transform the mobile game discovery experience. We’re thrilled to have helped Namco Bandai Networks Europe bring their fantastic catalogue of titles to Facebook users in a compelling new way.”

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NOTES TO EDITORS

Users can purchase games to play on their mobile phones easily. By simply clicking on “Buy Now” after the demo, and entering their phone number, they will receive an SMS link on their mobile phone to download the game from the NBNE WAP site. Users will not be charged until they click on the “download” link on the WAP page.

Namco Arcade can be found on Facebook at http://apps.facebook.com/namcoarcade

About Namco Bandai Networks Europe

Namco Bandai Networks Europe is a leading publisher of wireless games and content for mobile, offering a wide selection of titles to consumers which includes all-time classic games such as PAC-MAN, Galaga and Galaxian, as well as contemporary titles such as Ridge Racer, Time Crisis, and the best-selling Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima series. Namco Bandai Networks Europe provides mobile phone content to all major carriers in Europe.

More information about Namco Bandai Networks Europe, its products and services can be found online at www.namcomobile.com.

About Mplayit

Mplayit is the leading global provider for online playable discovery and social merchandising of mobile games and applications. The company's proprietary software solutions enable mobile content providers to better merchandise, market, and interact with a targeted user audience of mobile consumers. Mplayit is backed by New Atlantic Ventures. For more information, visit mplayit.com or email info@mplayit.com. You can also follow Mplayit on Twitter: @Mplayit.

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Sohaib Ahmed

Nelson Bostock Communications

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Email: nbne@nelsonbostock.com