US$179,668 Paid for Virtual Real Estate in Entropia Universe, Marking the Largest Purchases in Entropia Universe of 2006

Winners of Virtual Real Estate Auction Announced Today After Ten Days of Frenzied Bidding for Virtual Shopping Malls


GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN -- (MARKET WIRE) -- January 4, 2007 -- MindArk PE AB, creators of the Entropia Universe -- the original virtual world with a real cash economy, announced today the winners of a public auction for the three virtual mall properties within the world. Bidding lasted from December 19 into the late evening of December 29, with the total winning bids amounting to US$179,668. The two winners are Onkel RobRoy Bob who claimed two of the prestigious malls, and Epsilon Eps Vaz who won the third piece of highly sought after Entropia Universe real estate.

All of the malls are located in Calypso, one of Entropia Universe's most heavily trafficked virtual areas. Two of the prime commercial properties were claimed by Onkel RobRoy Bob, a 37-year-old quality engineer from Sweden who stated afterwards, "I have seen many good deals pass through Entropia Universe, so now I thought it was finally my turn." Onkel RobRoy Bob bought the Twin Peaks and Emerald Lakes malls for US$35,000 and US$74,601 respectively. The third property, in the trading capital of Port Atlantis, was won by Epsilon Eps Vaz, a 19-year-old from the United Kingdom. After claiming the mall for US$70,067 the young Epsilon said, "I believe the Port Atlantis Mall is a great investment for the future. Entropia Universe is growing all the time and Port Atlantis is a meeting place for new players."

The malls will provide instant cash revenue to their new owners; each mall includes three shopping floors, eighteen medium-size shops (each with a display window), eighteen large-size shops (each with a display window plus a display podium), three trade centers with an auctioneer, technician, trade, society, and repair terminals, storage facilities, an ad screen, tailoring, and construction machines. On the fourth floor of each mall, there is a public teleporter and a public balcony. The top floors of the malls also house a private penthouse apartment for the mall owner, complete with a large private balcony overlooking the busy locations. The roof of each mall has two spacecraft landing pads for future use.

MindArk's Chief Information Officer, Marco Behrmann, followed the auctions closely and happily claims them, "the perfect thrilling ending to MindArk's most successful year to date. The desire to own virtual real estate in Entropia Universe is growing rapidly, which the mall auctions clearly show. Big business has entered the virtual universe with tremendous force, and we see no indication of this changing." Entropia Universe turnover amounted to over US$165 million during 2005.

The sale of the malls reflects one of the main principles of Entropia Universe. Entropia Universe actively supports sales of virtual products with actual cash value within its real economy system. Entropia Universe is the only virtual universe on the internet whose currency has a fixed exchange rate with the US Dollar, where 10 PED = US$1. Its currency can easily be moved between Entropia Universe and the real world using an ATM card. The Entropia ATM card can be used to instantly withdraw real cash from over 1 million ATM machines worldwide. The PED currency allows members to invest in personal development and growth through the acquisition of goods, buildings, and land in the Entropia universe.

About Entropia Universe and MindArk

The heart of Entropia Universe is a distant planet named Calypso, which encompasses two continents with animal filled wildernesses and large expanding cities that offer a variety of entertainment and social interaction for its citizens. In Entropia, participants can create their own persona, or avatar, via a character generation system, and then have the option of choosing a suitable life and virtual existence for their avatar. Characters are able to enter the evolving worlds of Entropia Universe, which are full of unexplored and uncultivated lands. Participants can join a community or even create a civilization of their own. Entropia offers a new avenue for individuals to pursue dreams, fantasies, and adventures in an astoundingly 'real' virtual universe.

In December 2004, Entropia Universe set a world record, certified by the Guinness Book of World Records, when it sold a virtual Treasure Island for US$26,500 as the largest dollar amount spent, to 22-year-old Australian David Storey, a.k.a. "Deathifier." In October 2005, the sale of an asteroid based space resort for US$100,000 to famed gamer, Jon 'NEVERDIE' Jacobs, set a new record for the most valuable virtual item.

Entropia Universe is a registered trademark of MindArk PE AB. MindArk supports and monitors the services and maintenance of the Entropia Universe site. MindArk began in April of 2003 in Sweden, and has expanded to have partners throughout the world. Entropia Universe was launched in 2003 and has reached over 500,000 registered accounts. MindArk offers the Entropia Universe software to users free of charge with no monthly costs or associated subscription fees. For more information or to download the free Entropia Universe software please visit www.entropia-universe.com. For more information on EU developer, MindArk, please visit www.mindark.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Elina Heng Terpin Communications Group (619)820-0527 Email Contact

Company ProfileEntropia Universe