(Tokyo, JAPAN) – January 16, 2008 – Earlier this week, the launch of KODE5 South Africa marked the 16th country to join the revolution. Today, KODE5, in association with the KODE5 Japan 2008 Organizing Commission, is pleased to announce KODE5 Japan as KODE5’s 17th qualifier for the 2007 season. KODE5 Japan will feature a series of Warcraft III online qualifiers that culminate into an offline final at NIGHTLAN, Japan’s second largest LAN gaming event. With Global Supporters Cooler Master, GIGABYTE, and Corsair Memory, and local supporter LiveStation, KODE5 Japan will bring the country’s top Warcraft III gamers together for one decisive battle to determine who will advance to the KODE5 Global Finals.

Details for the KODE5 Japan event are as follows:

KODE5 Japan Regional Qualifiers

EVENT: KODE5 Japan Online Qualifier #1
DATE: January 26th, 2008
VENUE: Online
GAMES: Warcraft III: TFT

EVENT: KODE5 Japan Online Qualifier #2
DATE: February 2nd, 2008
VENUE: Online
GAMES: Warcraft III: TFT

To allow as many Warcraft III gamers as possible to take part in KODE5 Japan, the KODE5 Japan 2008 Organizing Commission will hold two online qualifiers. The top 2 gamers from each online qualifier will then advance to the KODE5 Japan Regional Finals. Gamers can register for these events by first obtaining a free account on KODE5.com (http://www.kode5.com/register.php), and then signing up on the KODE5 Japan website (Will be released in the next days).

KODE5 Japan Regional Finals

EVENT: NIGHTLAN
DATES: February 10th, 2008
VENUE: ADsquare Internet Complex
LOCATION: Tokyo, Japan
GAMES: Warcraft III: TFT
LINK: http://www.nightlan.net

With the KODE5 Japan Regional Finals concluded, the top gamers will then have to prove themselves at NIGHTLAN. Held on February 10th, NIGHTLAN is held at the ADsquare facility in Tokyo, and is Japan’s second-largest LAN gaming event. In addition, gamers attending NIGHTLAN will also be able to take part in other events, including CounterStrike: Source, Team Fortress 2, DotA, and Warsow. The winners from the Warcraft III event will earn the right to represent Japan at the KODE5 Global Finals.

“It is a great honor to have such great gaming event, KODE5, in Japan. It will be a good opportunity for Japanese gamers to enjoy playing games competitively and also challenges the elite gamers around the world to experience an unforgettable moment,” says Keisuke Tashiro, Chair of the KODE5 Japan 2008 Organizing Commission.

“KODE5 is the best event that matches the “LiveStation” concept. LiveStation is a replay site which explains what is e-sports, how to enjoy e-sports, and magnificence of gaming through KODE5. We will start a revolution in the Japanese gaming scene together with KODE5.” Masashi Fujisawa, Chief Planning Officer, LiveStation.

“While generally smaller than other countries, the Japanese e-sports community is a surprisingly active one,” says Lester Lau, KODE5 Revolutionary-in-Command. “We are confident that working with the KODE5 Japan 2008 Organizing Commission will help bring e-sports further into the limelight in Japan, and wish everyone the best of luck in this tournament series.”

Bringing world-class gaming gear to the KODE5 Japan Regional Finals will be Global Supporters Cooler Master, GIGABYTE, and Corsair Memory, who have each generously offered their support for the revolution.

“As a games developer capital of the world, Japan has shown how passionate they are about gaming,” says Frances Chen, Account Manager of Cooler Master Japan. “Competitive e-Sports tournaments such as KODE5 will no doubt bring out the best of Japan’s pro-gamers.”

“Japanese competitive gamers demand reliable, high-performance equipment, and there is no more hard-core brand in PC gaming and Overclocking than GIGABYTE,” commented Joshua Yeo, President of Japan GIGABYTE United, Inc. “We’re looking forward to an exciting KODE5 challenge with some of the world’s best gamers competing for some of the world’s best motherboard and VGA card prizes.”

“We are thrilled to be a part of KODE5 Japan,” says Scott Thirlwell, Director of Sales – Corsair Asia. “Corsair XMS is extremely popular in Japan and it is the gaming and overclocking community that make it so popular. To be able to support this same community through KODE5 is fantastic.”

For details on how to register for this exciting event, check out KODE5’s official website: www.kode5.com.

For more information on the KODE5 Japan 2008 Organizing Commission, check out their official website: http://live-station.info/kode5japan/.

About Cooler Master

Cooler Master was founded to provide the best thermal solutions to our customers worldwide. Since its establishment a decade ago, we continue to invest in product development in order to provide the leading-edge innovations to people and businesses. Cooler Master’s enclosure technology line-up includes heat sinks and fans, chassis, power supplies, function panels and accessories. Cooler Master has its headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan, with global branch offices located in Europe, America and APAC, so that we can offer to our customers the best service in time. For more information on Cooler Master, please visit www.coolermaster.com.

About GIGABYTE

GIGABYTE for the past 20 years has been a world-renowned leader in the motherboard and graphics card industry. Fully utilizing its key assets including its cutting-edge research and development team as well as its professional sales and marketing resources, GIGABYTE is committed to providing our valued customers with the highest quality products and services featuring the industry’s most innovative design. Now and for the future, GIGABYTE will continue to embody the unique spirit and culture, which has made GIGABYTE one of the foremost brands in the industry. For more information about GIGABYTE, please visit www.gigabyte.com.tw.

About Corsair

Corsair Memory, a member of JEDEC, has been a leader in the design and manufacture of high-speed memory modules since 1994. We have earned our reputation as being the first to market with leading-edge products supporting new computing platforms and technologies. Corsair supplies memory for applications ranging from mission-critical servers to ultra-high performance gaming systems. The performance and reliability of Corsair memory products makes them ideal for memory-intensive computing. Additional information about Corsair is available at www.corsairmemory.com.

About KODE5

KODE5 masses gamers in over 16 countries in a series of regional events to find the best gamers from around the world. The best then fly to an undisclosed location to square off against the world’s gaming elite. With television crews from around the world broadcasting, international media in attendance, and mass crowds rioting for their favorites, the KODE5 Global Finals will bring gaming to the center stage like no other gaming event. KODE5 will take competitive gaming to another level and gain the respect that gaming deserves. To join the revolution, go to the KODE5 website at www.kode5.com.