PREPARE TO BE ADDICTED TO SQUARE ENIX’S NEW CASUAL SERIES "MEGATOUCH MOBILE ARCADE"

Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix™ interactive products in North America, and Merit Entertainment, a worldwide leader in touchscreen entertainment devices, today announced the release of MEGATOUCH MOBILE ARCADE. These popular and exciting games can be downloaded now via the Cingular network, and will also be available through Verizon’s network in the very near future.

"Expanding the Megatouch experience to the mobile platform is an exciting venture for Square Enix," stated Daishiro Okada President and COO, Square Enix, Inc. "When many people think of Square Enix, they think of epic role-playing games. With Megatouch, we’re working with a new genre and appealing to a different audience. We’re confident we will provide them with quality gaming only we could deliver," said Square Enix Producer Shuhei Yamaguchi.

Players will be challenged with a wide variety of fun casual games adapted for mobile that were previously found only on Megatouch® touchscreen systems. Primarily located in bars across the nation, Megatouch countertops, like Maxx™, Force™, and the newest ION™ systems, have entertained patrons throughout the years with engaging and highly addictive games. Merit’s games receive about 4 billion plays per year.

"We are excited to work with Square Enix to bring our hits to the mobile screen. As Merit Entertainment looks to find new and innovative ways to attract players to our touchscreen games, Square Enix has helped immensely by doing a masterful job of introducing a whole new generation of players to our games. Now that these new players are familiar with Megatouch games on their cell phones, we expect them to seek out the same fun and excitement at their local bars," said Colin Higbie, Merit’s Director of Marketing and New Business Development.

Megatouch Mobile Arcade is the first installment in the series of popular games to become available on the mobile phone platform. Featuring barroom favorites Q-shot™, Box Drop™ and 11 Up™, Megatouch Mobile Arcade was developed by Shuhei Yamaguchi. Shuhei has worked in the Japanese mobile industry for five years (Square Enix Co., Ltd.) as a producer, but this was his first title to appear in the U.S. market. Megatouch Mobile Arcade II, which is scheduled to be released at the end of this year, was developed by Square Enix’s newest Producer, Guy Silliman, and features even more gaming favorites, including Monster Madness™, Pharaoh’s 9™ and Card Raiders™. Guy recently joined the team from Electronic Arts, where he worked in QA and mobile production for almost four years.

"This unique partnership between Square Enix and Merit Entertainment will provide an entirely new and accessible medium for casual gamers to enjoy the rich content found on the Megatouch systems," said Guy.

Megatouch FEATURES Megatouch Mobile Arcade: Three unique games in one application. Fast-paced arcade action. Intuitive gameplay, fun for users of all skill levels. from Square Enix.com