For Immediate Release:

NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR EMA’S VIDEO GAME HO= ME ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS

“Video Game of the Year Nominations” Reflect Diversity with Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, LittleBigPlanet, Metal Gear Solid 4, and World of Warcraft: The Lich King

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ENCINO, CALIFORNIA (January 16, 2009) … The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) today announced the nominees for its 2009 Video Game Home Entertainment Awards. A total of 90 nominees were recognized in 20 categories that encompass the most-popular gaming platforms and genres. Winners will be announced at Game Supply: The Supply Chain Academy for Interactive Entertainment on February 11, 2009 in Burbank, CA.

“The wonderful growth in the v= ideo game market is a direct result of the impressive quality of the games being produced along with the enriching diversity of product,” noted EMA President & CEO Bo Andersen. “Video games appeal to all ages and = are a core component in home entertainment. The retailers who sell and rent vid= eo games are very excited to honor the outstanding games in the marketplace.”

This year’s award categories include all major platforms and a variety of genres, including action/adventure, casual, children/family, fighting, racing, RPG/strategy, shooter/military and best non-sequel games. Awards will also be presented f= or best graphics, most-innovative game, and best game of the year. A new categ= ory has been added this year to recognize the best third-party publisher.<= /o:p>

The titles receiving the most nominations are Bethesda Software’s Fallout 3 and Sony’s Little= Big Planet, which received five nominations. Several games secured four nominat= ions each, including Call of Duty: World at War Final Front, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Gears of War 2, and Grand Theft Auto IV. Unique this = year is the committee’s decision to have only one nomination in the PC Gam= e of the Year category – World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King For a complete list of nominations, click here.

Sony Computer Entertainment was the leading publisher, capturing 13 nominations, followed by Nintendo with 10 n= ods. Electronic Arts secured nine nominations, and Microsoft and Ubisoft each received eight nominations for their titles.

To be eligible, a video game had to = have been released during the 2008 calendar year. This year’s award catego= ries and nominees were determined by EMA’s Video Game Home Entertainment Awards Nominating Committee, which is comprised of video game retailers and distributors. The winners will be determined by a vote of EMA retail and distributor members.

The winners will be announced during= the cocktail reception at GameSupply: The Supply Chain Academy for Interactive Entertainment on February 11, 2009 at the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel &a= mp; Convention Center in Burbank, CA. The event is being produced by the Media = & Entertainment Services Alliance (MESA) and the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA). For more information on the event, go www.gamesupplyacademy.com.

The Entertainment Merchants Associat= ion (EMA) is the not-for-profit international trade association dedicated to advancing the interests of the $33 billion home entertainment industry. EMA represents approximately 500 companies throughout the United States, Canada, and other nations. Its members operate approximately 27,000 retail outlets = in the U.S. that sell and/or rent DVDs, computer and console video games, and digitally distributed versions of these products. Membership comprises the = full spectrum of retailers (from single-store specialists to multi-line mass merchants, and both brick and mortar and online stores), distributors, the = home video divisions of major and independent motion picture studios, and other related businesses that constitute and support the home entertainment indus= try. EMA was established in April 2006 through the merger of the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) and the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA).

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For more information, please contact:

Grace Lee

EMA

818-385-1500 Ext. 244 or glee@entmerch.org