Upper Deck Entertainment Hosts Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game National Championship Event in Columbus, Ohio

Business Wire, June 15, 2004

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CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 15, 2004

Hundreds Battle for Chance to Compete in Upcoming Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG

World Championship Event in Anaheim, Calif.

The nation's best Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game duelists will duke it out for the chance to represent the United States in the upcoming Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG World Championship event, as Upper Deck Entertainment hosts the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG National Championship Event in Columbus, Ohio. The National Championship event will be held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center during the Origins International Gaming Expo on Saturday, June 26.

Top finalists will not only earn a spot to represent the United States, but will also battle 25 competing countries from around the world for the coveted title as "Yu-Gi-Oh! King of Games." These countries include Japan, Philippines, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, Brazil, and Canada to name a few. The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG World Championship event will be held on Sunday, July 25 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Southern California.

Over 300 Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG fans earned a spot in the National Championship event by competing and winning previous tournaments in their various regions. Players who are not already qualified can play to win a slot in one of two last chance tournaments on Friday, June 25. There are currently over 5,000 stores hosting weekly tournaments in which over 600,000 people participate.

During the game, players duel each other by summoning monsters and activating spell and trap Cards. Using a Starter Deck and/or booster sets, duelists collect cards to play their hands against other duelists. Duelists with well-constructed decks, powerful monsters, solid strategy and a little good fortune are the winners in the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game.

For more information on the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game or Upper Deck Entertainment, visit www.yugioh-card.com; for products or to access the online store, log onto www.ude.com or www.upperdeckstore.com. Upper Deck Entertainment is the exclusive worldwide distributor, with the exception of Japan and Asian countries, of the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game.

About Yu-Gi-Oh!(TM)

The Yu-Gi-Oh!(TM) franchise is based on the Yu-Gi-Oh!(TM) comic series from artist Kazuki Takahashi that first appeared in Japan in 1996. It is currently being serialized in SHONEN JUMP, the monthly manga magazine published by VIZ LLC. The comic spawned a hit cartoon TV show, a top-selling collectible card game, several videogames and other licensed merchandise. Yu-Gi-Oh!(TM) follows the adventures of Yugi, a young boy who possesses the "Millennium Puzzle" that allows him to transform into the "Game King" whenever he is challenged.

About The Upper Deck Company

For years, Upper Deck has been hailed as the industry leader in quality sports cards and collectibles, and the same level of excellence can now be seen in the full line of Upper Deck Entertainment products. For additional information about the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game and Upper Deck Entertainment, visit the company's Web site at www.ude.com or www.upperdeckstore.com. The Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game is distributed by Upper Deck Entertainment, a division of The Upper Deck Company, a worldwide sports and entertainment company based in Carlsbad, Calif.

About Konami Corp.

Konami Corp. is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties, specializing in the home video game market. Konami Corp.'s action and adventure titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill and Castlevania, among other top sellers. The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. Konami Corp. is a publicly-traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami of America Inc. in the U.S. and Konami of Europe in Frankfurt, Germany. Konami Corp., the parent company of Konami of America Inc. is traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products distributed by Konami of America Inc. can be found at www.konami.com/usa.

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