Atari to Bring Trading Card Game Phenomenon Duel Masters to Game Boy Advance; Atari Announces Duel Masters: Sempai Legends.Entertainment Editors/Business Editors/High-Tech Writers BEVERLY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 15, 2004 With More Than 120 Million Booster Packs Sold in Japan, Duel Masters Prepares for U.S. Invasion Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) and Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. Originally a basement-run role-playing game publisher, they popularized the collectible card game genre with in , a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc., today announced that Duel Masters Duel Masters (デュエルマスターズ Dyueru Masutāzu) is a franchise based on a manga, anime and a trading card game. (TM) -- the number one toy in Japan according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Weekly Toy News -- will be released for Nintendo's Game Boy(R) Advance in June 2004. Already an incredibly successful trading card game, television series and comic book comic book Bound collection of comic strips, usually in chronological sequence, typically telling a single story or a series of different stories. The first true comic books were marketed in 1933 as giveaway advertising premiums. in Japan, Atari's Duel Masters(TM): Sempai Legends, which was developed under license from Hasbro, will launch hot on the heels of the newest round of the Duel Masters trading card game The Duel Masters Trading Card Game is a two-player and 2 vs. 2 team collectible card game (CCG) jointly developed by Wizards of the Coast, Shogakukan, and Mitsui & Co., Ltd.. The card game is part of the Duel Masters franchise. from Wizards of the Coast. With more than 120 million booster packs sold in Japan, Duel Masters is preparing to invade the U.S. "Duel Masters: Sempai Legends incorporates an engaging combination of strategy, humor and mystery that we believe will translate into an exciting interactive entertainment offering," said Nancy MacIntyre, vice president of Marketing and Public Relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most , Atari's Beverly studio. "We are pleased to work with Wizards of the Coast to bring this entertainment phenomenon from Japan to the U.S. and the Game Boy Advance." "Atari has successfully demonstrated its expertise in bringing anime properties and trading card franchises to the interactive entertainment sector, and we are excited to be working with them on Duel Masters," said James Szubski, Duel Masters brand manager, Wizards of the Coast. "Duel Masters has already demonstrated its ability to span a variety of entertainment genres, and Atari's Game Boy Advance offering combined with our trading card game delivers the perfect vehicle with which to introduce this universe to North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. ." Duel Masters' Accomplishments in Japan -- The Trading Card Game launched in Japan in May of 2002 -- More than 4,000,000 Duel Masters decks sold -- More than 120,000,000 Duel Masters booster packs sold -- The Trading Card Game has been the #1 toy in Japan for the last 11 consecutive months -- There are more than 600 Duel Masters play events per month -- 26 episodes of the Duel Masters TV show have been produced; 26 additional episodes are currently in production U.S. Launch Highlights -- Times Square Launch Event on March 5, 2004 -- U.S. Launch supported by 15-city Wizards of the Coast Mall Tour -- Animated Duel Masters cartoon on Cartoon Network For Cartoon Network outside of the United States, see . Cartoon Network is a cable television network created by Turner Broadcasting which primarily shows animated programming. -- Duel Masters Organized Leagues and Tournaments -- Trading Card, Video Game and Anime Enthusiast convention presence throughout 2004 and beyond About Duel Masters: Sempai Legends for Game Boy Advance Duel Masters: Sempai Legends offers a story-driven experience, in which the lead character inherits a valuable Duel Masters card from his grandfather, but before he can add it to his deck, it is stolen by a mysterious man. As a result, the lead character must travel through a dangerous world inhabited by rival duelists in the hopes of regaining his stolen property. Along the way, he enters tournaments and gains the experience to someday become a Kaijudo Master. For more information, please visit www.atari.com. Hasbro, Inc. Hasbro (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world. Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), 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(R), among many other trading card games and family card and board games. Wizards is also a leading publisher of role playing games, such as Dungeons Dungeons may refer to:
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times best-sellers. For more information, visit the Wizards of the Coast website at wizards.com. About Atari New York-based Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) develops interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include hard-core, genre-defining games such as Driver(TM), Enter the Matrix(TM), Neverwinter Nights(TM), Stuntman stunt·man n. A man who substitutes for a performer in scenes requiring physical daring or involving physical risk. stuntman n → especialista m stuntman (TM), Test Drive(R), Unreal(R) Tournament 2004, and Unreal(R) Championship; and mass-market and children's games such as Backyard Sports(TM), Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues(TM) and Dora the Explorer Dora the Explorer is an animated television series that is carried on the Nickelodeon cable television network. A pilot episode for the series aired in 1999, and Dora the Explorer became a regular series in 2000. (TM), Civilization(R), Dragon Ball Z “DBZ” redirects here. For the meteorological term, see dBZ (meteorology). Dragon Ball Z (ドラゴンボールZ (R) and RollerCoaster Tycoon(R). Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary majority-owned subsidiary A firm in which more than 50% of outstanding voting stock is owned by the parent company. of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext 5257), the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit www.atari.com. SAFE HARBOR Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. STATEMENT Certain statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements (rather than historical facts) that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described. With respect to such forward-looking statements, the company seeks the protection afforded by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995 and other enabling legislation. Statements contained herein with regard to the company's business outlook and prospective operating and financial results are based upon management's expectations regarding various factors, which may be beyond the company's control. This statement is not intended to identify each and every risk and uncertainty inherent in the company's business, and should be read in conjunction with the company's cautionary statements contained in its most recent filings with U.S. and foreign regulatory authorities. (C) 2004 Atari, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HASBRO and its logo, and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. (C) 2004 HASBRO. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. DUEL MASTERS is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Mitsui/Kids Station and Shogakukan. (C)2004. Wizards/Mitsui-Kids/Shogakukan. Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the United States and other countries. (C)2004 Wizards. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion