RENTON, WASH., MARCH 5, 2004 � The game that's topped the charts in Japan for much of the past year hits U.S. toy and hobby stores this week. The DUEL MASTERS™ Trading Card Game, published by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., already has a fan base in the U.S. among trading card game players and retailers, who have been chatting about the game online since last fall. The DUEL MASTERS Trading Card Game officially arrives on store shelves nationwide today, and will be at the center of an event at Toys "R" Us Times Square this Saturday, March 6, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
When the first DUEL MASTERS comic books were released to a U.S. audience a couple of months ago, they quickly sold through their first print run. Last weekend, Cartoon Network aired a special 90-minute preview of its "DUEL MASTERS" TV series, which will air weekly beginning later this month. Online, at www.duelmasters.com, thousands of players have already signed up for D-MAX™, the official DUEL MASTERS club.
Following its successful trading card game model, Wizards of the Coast will release expansion card sets to build on the DUEL MASTERS starter game releasing this week. Three expansions are planned this year, with more on the way for 2005. Kids will also soon be able to find DUEL MASTERS video games. Atari is developing two Game Boy Advanced titles and a PlayStation 2 title. This fall, Hasbro will release a line of DUEL MASTERS action figures and board games.
"With our success in Japan - and here in the U.S. the brisk sell-out of the Duel Masters comic books and great reaction to last week's sneak preview of the TV show on Cartoon Network - there's a lot of momentum that's been building to this week's release of the trading card game," explained Chuck Huebner, Wizards of the Coast's president and chief executive officer. "Duel Masters has strong support within Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro and among our licensing and retail partners." To support the launch, Toys "R" Us will host a DUEL MASTERS "Learn to Play Day" in all stores nationwide on March 20 as a featured activity for the new Geoffrey's Fundays program.
DUEL MASTERS was jointly developed by Wizards of the Coast and Shogakukan, Inc., and Mitsui & Co., Ltd in Japan. DUEL MASTERS game-play is fast and intense. Players do battle with fantastic creatures that hail from five distinct civilizations. Each creature has unique powers and characteristics that enhance strategic play. Players start with a 40-card deck, laying five cards in front of them to serve as "shields" and holding five cards with which to begin the battle. They take turns casting cards in an attempt to break through all five of their opponent's shields and win the game.
Wizards of the Coast will initially release DUEL MASTERS in a two-player starter game ($9.99 MSRP) and booster packs ($3.49 MSRP). Kids will be able to learn how to play DUEL MASTERS in several ways: online, at www.duelmasters.com, at their local hobby and game retailers, many of whom are planning to host DUEL MASTERS events, and through a 15-city mall tour hosted by Wizards of the Coast.
Wizards of the Coast, Inc., 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 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 wizards.com.
DUEL MASTERS is a trademark of Wizards/ Shogakukan/ Mitsui-Kids.
�2004 Wizards/ Shogakukan/ Mitsui-Kids/Sho Pro.
Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the United States and other countries.
�2004 Wizards.
