Industry Leading Partnerships Enhance Strategy Fantasy Gaming Options for all Gamers
RENTON, Wash.—February 18, 2008 — Wizards of the Coast (WotC), the leader in strategy hobby collectible trading card, board and role playing games, and a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS), today announced its plans to extend the Magic: The Gathering® franchise to gamers on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Xbox LIVE® Arcade and the PC through partnerships with Stainless Games, Ltd. and Mind Control Software, Inc. Stainless Games will develop a game using the Magic: The Gathering IP for both Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PC, while Mind Control will develop a game for the PC and Mac.
“We’re excited to bring the Magic brand to new platforms and give our fans new ways to experience this great property,” said Jared Gustafson, Brand Director for Magic: The Gathering at Wizards of the Coast. “It’s partnerships like these that will advance the strategy games category and transform it to meet the needs and desires of today’s digital gamers.”
Magic: The Gathering, introduced in 1993, is the premier and original trading card game that inspired an entirely new game genre. Combining the dynamics of a card game with the excitement of trading and collecting, Magic™ offers fun for casual play, as well as the option of highly competitive tournaments. Magic: The Gathering currently has a thriving online edition (Magic Online®) made up of more than 350,000 active accounts. The game allows gamers to collect and trade virtual cards, build the perfect deck, get help from mentors, find opponents at all skill levels, and compete for prizes every day without ever leaving the comforts of home.
Specific details on the games Stainless Games and Mind Control will develop using the Magic: The Gathering IP will be announced at a later date.
About Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is a worldwide leader in the trading card game and tabletop roleplaying game categories, and a leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products. The company holds an exclusive patent on trading card games (TCGs) and their method of play and produces the premier trading card game, MAGIC: THE GATHERING®, among many other trading card games and family card and board games. Wizards is also a leading publisher of roleplaying games, such as DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®, and publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times best-sellers. For more information, visit the Wizards of the Coast website at www.wizards.com.
About Stainless Games
Stainless Games is a privately owned company based on the South Coast of the UK. Although best known for the creation of the multi-million selling Carmageddon franchise, the company has most recently become recognized as one of the world’s leading companies in the burgeoning Console Download market. For more information visit the Stainless Games website at www.stainlessgames.com.
About Mind Control Software
Fueled by the success of the cult-hit roleplaying game, Skyrealms of Jorune, Andrew Leker founded Mind Control Software in 1994. Since then, Mind Control has created a wide array of critically-acclaimed games for PC and console. Recent award-winning game titles include Oasis (2004 Independent Games Festival Game of the Year), Field Commander (2006 E3 Best PSP Strategy Game), and DimensionM (2006 Macworld Editor’s Choice). Experts in game technology, Mind Control has provided technology solutions for Sun Microsystems, Sony Online Entertainment, Midway Home Entertainment, Disney Interactive and many others. For more information visit the Mind Control Software website at www.mind-control.com.
