Japanese game developer CYBIRD Co., Ltd. announced on July 7 that manga legend CAPTAIN TSUBASA will star in its new football game, "BFB Champions: Global Kick-Off." CAPTAIN TSUBASA and his teammates will appear as characters in the game after it is launched in the West later this year on smartphones. To celebrate the announcement, anyone attending the Japan Expo event that takes place in Paris on July 7-10 will be able to get a glimpse of this fictional footballing genius while picking up all sorts of soccer-themed swag.

Japan Expo takes place from July 7 to 10 at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center, and attendees who drop by the BFB Champions booth (Hall 5A, G206) in the Saiko Japan area will be able to pick up CAPTAIN TSUBASA -themed fans, bags, and a series of postcards that feature specially commissioned art by CAPTAIN TSUBASA creator Yoichi Takahashi. Pick up a postcard and you can enter a prize draw to win limited-edition prints of the original artwork or Takahashi's signature!

"BFB Champions: Global Kick-Off" allows players to compete in leagues and against players all over the world as the manager of a football club. The game was launched in Japan and Hong Kong at the end of June, and has already been downloaded over 300,000 times. It is currently in soft launch in Scandinavian territories.

CAPTAIN TSUBASA and his teammates are set to join the game's cover star, Diego Maradona, as players in the game for would-be managers to pick for their squads. And while he is little known in Britain, this fictional footballing genius was a real-life inspiration to a generation of European soccer superstars from Ozil to Zidane thanks to localized versions of the long-running Japanese manga created by Takahashi in 1981.

If you're attending the event, be sure to check out the game's official Twitter and Facebook accounts (listed below) for regular updates. And for more images or information, please email david_mccarthy@cybird.co.jp.

What is "BFB Champions: Global Kick-Off"?

BFB Champions allows players to become the manager of a football club and compete in leagues and against players all over the world. Collect players, train them across a series of mini games, and then choose your formation and tactics to compete in leagues around the world. And when you have perfected your managerial skills, get ready to take on other managers from all over the world in the "BFB Champions Multiplayer Cups." Are you ready to take on the world?

BFB Champions is a sequel to the acclaimed soccer game "BFB 2016," which is currently available in Japan and Hong Kong on smartphones. BFB Champions features a newly improved game system and a range of new features, and will be released in Britain and elsewhere in Europe later this year. A version of the game will also be released in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan by CYBIRD's publishing partner, nxTomo Games Limited. Players of both versions will be able to compete with each other in multiplayer tournaments.

"BFB Champions: Global Kick-Off" official site:

http://www.bfbchamp.com/en

Register your email address to receive the latest information about BFB Champions.

"BFB Champions: Global Kick-Off" official Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/GlobalKickoff

"BFB Champions: Global Kick-Off" official Twitter account:

@BFBChampions

About "BFB Champions:           Global Kick-Off"

Game name:BFB Champions:   Global Kick-Off

Publisher:                                CYBIRD Co., Ltd. (BFB Studio)

Launch date:                           2H, 2016 (Britain)

OS:                                         Smartphone

Copyright:                              (C) 2016 CYBIRD

About CYBIRD Co., Ltd.

Headquarters:         Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

President and CEO:  Shuji Utsumi

About BFB Studio

BFB Studio is a development studio within CYBIRD, set up in April 2015 to develop and manage apps for smartphones. Its first title, BFB 2016, was a smash hit in Japan and Hong Kong where it was downloaded over 3 million times and built up a fiercely loyal fan base. To build on that success, "BFB Champions: Global Kick-Off" is being developed for global release in the hope of putting a smile on the faces of footie fans all over the world.

* CYBIRD and the CYBIRD logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of CYBIRD Co., Ltd.

* All company names, product names and service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.