Yu-Gi-Oh!™ ONLINE evolves

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has released details of an all-new version of its popular PC title Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE, taking the online dueling elements of the series to a whole new level.

Entitled Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE DUEL EVOLUTION and due to go live on December 15th, the beta version of the game will be available as a free download and will replace the existing Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE service. The new game has been designed to offer a more personal and comprehensive recreation of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, with an all-new graphical makeover, utilising elements of both the classic Yu-Gi-Oh! TV series and the new Yu-Gi-Oh! GX TV series.

Players can now create their own Avatar for use when dueling and interacting with other users in an all-new graphical environment, which resembles either Domino City from the classic Yu-Gi-Oh! TV series or the Duel Academy setting from the new Yu-Gi-Oh! GX TV series. Similarly, every part of the game has been refined and improved. The new Duel Screen has been redesigned to offer a much more intense dueling experience, and with the new Deck Editor it is easier than ever to construct powerful decks. More than 650 new cards have been added, making the most comprehensive library of cards in a Yu-Gi-Oh! game ever.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE DUEL EVOLUTION will be compatible with the existing DUELPASS system. After entering the code from the DUELPASS in the game, players will get 30 DUELPASS Points to play up to 30 duels, and also get bonus cards to strengthen their decks. The DUELPASS is available at selected retailers. A special electronic version of the DUELPASS with 150 DUELPASS Points is also available and can be bought via credit card on the game's website.

Open Beta testing will start on the 15th December. The Beta software will be available as a free download, and during the test period all duels will be free. All user and player data from Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE will be ported across to the new game, including cards, records, miles, etc when the final version goes live in January,

The final version of Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE DUEL EVOLUTION will be a free download from the game's official website ( www.yugioh-online.net).

"Anyone who is serious about Yu-Gi-Oh! is going to love this," commented Christopher Heck, European Brand Manager for Konami Digital Entertainment, GmbH. "With Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE DUEL EVOLUTION, we are really taking Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE to a new level. This will be a fantastic experience not only for the existing Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE community. It will make a whole new generation of players discover the excitement of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game."

System Requirements:

Microsoft® Windows® 2000/XP

Intel® Pentium® III 600 MHz or equivalent (Pentium 4 2.8 GHz or equivalent recommended)

256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM recommended)

2 GB free hard disk space

Microsoft DirectX® 9.0c compatible graphic card with 64 MB VRAM (128 MB VRAM recommended)

Microsoft DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card

Broadband Internet connection

® 1996 KAZUKI TAKAHASHI

® 2004 NAS · TV TOKYO

® 2006 Konami Digital Entertainment Japan Co., Ltd

About KONAMI CORPORATION

KONAMI CORPORATION was established in 1973, and became a holding company on March 31, 2006. KONAMI CORPORATION covers the fields of "Digital Entertainment Business", "Health & Fitness Business" and "Gaming & System Business". KONAMI CORPORATION went public on Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1988, the Singapore Stock Exchange in 1997, the London Stock Exchange in 1999, and the New York Stock Exchange in 2002. Home Page URL: www.konami.co.jp. Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary, responsible for popular franchises like Metal Gear Solid®, Silent Hill® and Pro Evolution Soccer amongst other top sellers. For more information concerning Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH and its products, please visit www.konami-europe.com/games.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ONLINE DUEL EVOLUTION will be released for PC in January. A Beta version will be available for download from December 15th. For more information, please contact Steve Merrett at Voltage PR on 020 7903 5122 or email steve@voltagepr.com.