Wizards of the Coast E-Commerce Site Breaks $1 Million for Third Consecutive Week; Record Sales Establish Company as World's Top Hobby Game E-Commerce Site

Business Wire, August 3, 1999

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 3, 1999--

Wizards of the Coast Inc., publisher of the world's bestselling Magic: The Gathering(R) and Pokemon(TM)(a) trading card games, today announced milestone e-commerce figures exceeding $1 million for a third consecutive week.

The company initially hit record sales for the week ending July 18 and continued its strong showing as a leading online store for the third week in a row, introducing Wizards of the Coast as the top hobby game e-commerce website in the world.

According to Sean Vanderdasson, director of E-Commerce at Wizards of the Coast, "Wizards of the Coast has reached a landmark achievement with recent e-store sales and expects to continue momentum as our e-commerce site expands its offerings. We plan to implement a number of key enhancements, including a holiday wish list and a youth allowance option, which are specifically geared toward the buying needs of our consumers."

Wizards of the Coast, the leading adventure and fantasy games manufacturer, attracts more than 5 million visitors to its website daily. Its online store currently offers over 800 unique items. By the end of 1999, more than 5,000 different products will be featured in the e-store, making the Wizards of the Coast(R) e-commerce site one of the largest of its kind on the World Wide Web. The average item cost on the site is $10 and individual sales transactions range from $10 to $150.

Games enthusiasts of all types can find a wide variety of entertainment products on the company's e-commerce site, from the latest in cutting-edge computer, adventure/strategy, traditional and classic family games to popular adventure, fantasy and science fiction literature. Popular games such as the Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon trading card games and AD&D(R) Core Rules CD-ROM are the website's top-selling products.

Wizards of the Coast, the worldwide market share leader in the trading card game category, is a leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products as well as the owner and operator of one of the nation's largest specialty game retail chains. Producing both the Pokemon and world's bestselling Magic: The Gathering trading card games, the company holds an exclusive patent on the play mechanic of trading card games. Manufacturer of adventure games such as the classic Dungeons & Dragons(R) games, family card and board games and electronic media products, Wizards of the Coast is also one of the world's leading fantasy and science fiction book publishers. The company's retail locations, many of which provide game-play areas, include eight Wizards of the Coast specialty game retail stores as well as 53 The Game Keeper(R) stores. Headquartered near Seattle, Washington, Wizards of the Coast has international offices in Antwerp, Paris, Milan, London and Beijing. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website and electronic retail store at (www.wizards.com).

(a) (c)1995, 1996 and 1998 Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK. Pokemon is

a trademark of Nintendo. WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Magic: The

Gathering and THE GAME KEEPER are registered trademarks of

Wizards of the Coast Inc. TSR, AD&D and Dungeons & Dragons are

registered trademarks of TSR Inc. TSR Inc. is a subsidiary of

Wizards of the Coast Inc.

(c)1999 Wizards of the Coast Inc.