December 18^th, 2003 (12:00am) - Konami Digital Entertainment announced today that it has secured the licensing rights to develop videogames based on the internationally acclaimed anime series, Shaman King (by Hiroyuki Takei) for the North American and the European regions. The company will publish games based on Shaman King starting with one for the PlayStation 2 and another for the Game Boy Advance. The games are slated for release in North America in summer 2004 and 4Kids Entertainment will be responsible for the licensing program for this title. The games will also ship in Europe, coinciding with the launch of the animated TV series.

Having earned widespread industry accolades for previous anime-licensed titles such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, the celebrated studio Konami Computer Entertainment Japan will develop the new Shaman King videogames.

"Shaman King follows Yu-Gi-Oh! as the second franchise that we have licensed from Shueisha and developed into videogames for the North American and the European markets. We are very proud to be expanding our licensed game catalogue and anime content with the addition of the popular Shaman King series," said Mr. Kitaue, Chief Executive Office at Konami Digital Entertainment. "Our mission is to listen to our consumers and deliver entertainment appropriate to the target markets. At KDE, we plan to continue to acquire licensed properties that resonate with our consumers, such as we have done with Yu-Gi-Oh! and now with Shaman King."

"We are pleased to initiate the first phase of our licensing program for Shaman King with the introduction of new, exciting video games from Konami," said Alfred R. Kahn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of 4Kids Entertainment. "The animated series is one of the featured programs on the FOX BOX, and we expect the successful rollout of the video games to support Shaman King’s growing popularity. This agreement also strengthens our relationship with Konami, a global leader in the development and production of video games worldwide."

Shaman King for the PlayStation 2 blends the elements of strategy, battling and role-playing games to deliver an exciting gameplay experience for players of all ages. Gamers will battle against numerous enemies and a nefarious organization that plans to stop the Grand Tournament from taking place.

Shaman King for the Game Boy Advance thrust players into an exhilarating side-scrolling adventure where gamers will use Yoh’s inherent ability to control ghosts and spirits in order to defeat his enemies.

Konami will showcase the Shaman King videogames at the Jump Festival held in Japan at the Makuhari Messe on December 20, 2003. A playable version of the PlayStation 2 game will be on display and a video of the GBA version will be shown at the booth.