YUKE’S Company of America, a leading video game publisher, today announced that it has officially launched Akinai Games. The new division represents an ongoing, industry-wide shift toward downloadable game platforms, and its main area of focus will be on developing games for this distribution model. Akinai will be developing titles for various online platforms, including Nintendo’s WiiWare channel, Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE, and Sony’s PlayStation Network (PSN), while plans for PC and mobile device distribution are under consideration. The first title to carry the new Akinai Games brand will be Evasive Space, the upcoming WiiWare title developed by High Voltage Software, set for a January 2009 release.

Akinai Games’ mission is to embrace the future of gaming in today’s digital age, and to establish itself as an industry leader in providing fun and innovative downloadable titles across multiple gaming platforms. “Akinai,” in Japanese, is loosely translated to “keep entertained,” symbolic of the company’s effort to offer a variety of high quality and fun downloadable games. The company logo was inspired by the “Maneki Neko” or “Lucky Cat,” a traditional Japanese cat sculpture which is believed to bring good luck to its owners and is typically displayed at a storefront’s entrance. The arrows within the Akinai Games logo represent the uploading of video game entertainment for consumers to download and enjoy.

“We’re seeing a dramatic shift in the marketplace as online platforms emerge as a source for high-quality game content, instantly available to the consumers via direct download,” states Shane Takahashi, CEO, YUKE’S Company of America. “YUKE’S is establishing Akinai Games to recognize the importance of online distribution platforms, and to focus on their growing significance to gamers. We’re proud to announce this new chapter in our company’s history as we look forward to making some of the most high quality, innovative and fun games of the future available for download.”

For additional information about Akinai Games, please visit the new website at: www.akinaigames.com.