Pokemon Trading Card Game World Championships Hosts Competitors from Nearly

                                30 Countries

  2008 Video Game Showdown Features 64 Top Players from the U.S. and Japan



    BELLEVUE, Wash., Aug. 11 /EMWNews/ -- Pokemon USA, Inc., the

worldwide leader in trading card games and video games, today announced

details for both the 2008 Pokemon(R) Trading Card Game (TCG) World

Championships as well as the first-ever Pokemon Video Game Showdown, which

will pit the most skilled Pokemon video game players from the U.S. and

Japan against one another in a battle to determine the ultimate champion.

Both events will take place August 16-17 at the Hilton in the Walt Disney

World Resort in Orlando, Florida, bringing together hundreds of Pokemon

fans from around the globe.



    The Pokemon Video Game Showdown will feature 64 of the most talented

players from the U.S. and Japan competing in two different age divisions.

U.S. qualifiers were selected from two regional tournaments held in Los

Angeles and New York on July 12 and July 19, respectively. Over 1,000

players from ages 6 to 43 came from all over the country to battle playing

Pokemon Diamond or Pokemon Pearl for the opportunity to compete against the

best players from Japan. Participants will strive for the chance to call

themselves a champion and win a grand prize that includes a six-day

vacation package for four to New York City, Honolulu, or Tokyo. Runners up

will win custom Nintendo DS(TM) game systems and special Pokemon prize

packs.



    The 2008 Pokemon Trading Card Game World Championships follow a

record-setting U.S. National Championships in June, which drew nearly 1,000

competitors. Hundreds of players from nearly 30 countries will compete in

the invite-only event for the title of Pokemon TCG World Champion. The top

32 winners in each of the three age divisions will be awarded various

Pokemon prizes and merchandise, including scholarship awards worth more

than $100,000.



    Pokemon has proved its dominance over the past 10 years as one of the

most successful kid's franchises of all-time. The Pokemon animated series

is broadcast in more than 30 countries in over 25 languages. Nintendo's

Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl games sold more than 1 million copies in

the first five days and more than 14 million copies since their launch. The

Pokemon Trading Card Game is the number one collectible trading card game

and boasts over 80,000 organized play members. Both championship events

will promote the fun of the trading card and video games as players are

required to use skill, strategy, and creativity to play.



    For more information, please visit: http://www.go-pokemon.com

    About Pokemon USA



    Pokemon USA, Inc., a subsidiary of The Pokemon Company in Japan,

manages the property outside of Asia which includes licensing, marketing,

the Pokemon Trading Card Game, an animated TV series, the Pokemon Trading

Figure Game, home entertainment, and the official Pokemon website. Pokemon

was launched in Japan in 1996 for play on Nintendo's Game Boy(R) and has

since evolved into a global cultural phenomenon. Pokemon was introduced in

North America in 1998 and today is one of the most popular toy and

entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visit

http://www.pokemon.com.