NEWS

OFFICIAL NARUTO™: ULTIMATE NINJA® 3 TOURNAMENT HELD AT NEW YORK COMIC CON

Rise to the Top of the NARUTO Ladder

Santa Clara, Calif., (April 17, 2008) – Compete against the best NARUTO fighters around during NAMCO BANDAI

Games America Inc.’s official NARUTO™: Ultimate Ninja^® 3 tournament at this year’s New York Comic Con. Held on April 18 through April 20, registered New York Comic Con attendees can show their skills in the way of Jutsu in the newest addition to the Ultimate Ninja library.  There can only be one ultimate ninja.  Is it you?

Come test your NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja 3 skills at the NAMCO BANDAI Games America booth (Booth #1213) in the Jacob K. Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan.  Starting on Friday April 18, sixteen player single elimination tournaments will be held throughout the day and run throughout the entirety of the show.  Many prizes will be given away with the top honor of Ultimate Ninja being bestowed to the winner of each tournament.  The schedule* for the tournament times is:

Friday, April 18	4:00 P.M., 5:30 P.M. and 7:00 P.M.
Saturday, April 19	11:00 A.M., 1:00 P.M. and 5:00 P.M.
Sunday, April 20	11:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M.

*tournament schedule is subject to change on the day of the event.

 NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja 3 perfects the art of anime fighting games with a host of ‘firsts’ for the series along with more than 40 playable characters, 20 stages and brand new jutsu to bring opponents to their knees. Players will be able to re-live the character defining battles of story arc one in Hero’s History mode and customize their characters with Ultimate Jutsu.  Dominate the battlefield by turning into a powerful ninja of unprecedented size or summon giant creatures as allies in the new Summoning mode.  An all-new original story will have players exploring a massive 3D rendered Hidden Leaf Village, participating in battle royale matches and competing in more than 55 unique missions.  Furthermore, NARUTO fans throughout North America will be able to experience the game in both English and original Japanese voice over.

 Exclusively for the PlayStation^®2 computer entertainment system, NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja 3 is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB and carries a suggested MSRP of $39.99.  For more information on NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja series, please visit:  http://www.namcobandaigames.com or www.naruto.com. For additional information regarding the NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja 3 tournament please visit http://www.hokagesroom.com, the official NARUTO community website. For additional information regarding NARUTO, please visit:  http://www.naruto.viz.com

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About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan Production Co., Ltd. (ShoPro Japan), VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America and a global licensor of Japanese animation. The company offers an integrated product line including, magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, videos, DVDs, audio soundtracks and develops and markets animated entertainment from initial production, television placement and distribution, to merchandise licensing and promotions for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.

About NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. is a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer based in Santa Clara, CA.  The company is a part of the NAMCO BANDAI group of companies known for creating and publishing many of the industry's top video game franchises including the PAC-MAN®, SOULCALIBUR®, Naruto™ and Tekken® brands.  For more information about NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., and our products log onto http://www.namcobandaigames.com/. 

NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja 3 software © 2004-2008 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. NARUTO artwork and elements © 2002 MASASHI KISHIMOTO.  All Rights Reserved.  “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Press Release © 2008 NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.

Contacts

Arne Cual-Pedroso                                                    
Namco Bandai Games America                                
(408) 235-2132                                                          
apedroso@namcobandaigames.com                         

Loretta Stevens
Weber Shandwick
(415) 248-3434
lstevens@webershandwick.com