Long-awaited NFL Showdown 2002 Sports Card Game Now On Store Shelves Nationwide

Business Wire, Sept 27, 2001

Business/Entertainment Writers

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RENTON, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 27, 2001

First Card Game to Use an Electronic Component Allowing Players

to Experience All Aspects of Coaching and Managing an NFL Team

Time to strap on the pads and hit the turf with the NFL Showdown(TM) 2002 sports card game, the latest release from Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc. (NYSE:HAS).

The NFL Showdown 2002 sports card game, the first game to incorporate an electronic reader called The PlayGrid(TM), is now on store shelves nationwide. This sports card game features the fun of trading card games, the collectability of traditional sports cards and the strategic elements of fantasy sports and sports matchups.

The PlayGrid, developed in conjunction with Tiger Electronics (also a division of Hasbro), is a handheld scanning device that allows football fans of all ages to play a strategic and statistically accurate football game without sacrificing the fast-paced action of an actual NFL game. The PlayGrid device reads, decodes and stores information from cards that are swiped through its electronic scanner. It then computes each individual play result from the information it has stored. Player cards include full-color images of NFL players, as well as characteristics and abilities taken from bar codes containing actual season statistics and other vital information that is interpreted by The PlayGrid. The PlayGrid card reader is available only in the NFL Showdown 2002 two-player Starter Set.

Additionally, this innovative new sports card game is the first game ever to receive an endorsement from the National Football League Coaches Association (NFLCA). The NFL Showdown 2002 sports card game simulates an actual football game and allows players to act as owners, coaches and players of their own NFL teams by drafting and building teams, calling plays and developing overall game strategies.

"(The NFL Showdown sports card game) is the only game that challenges you to be more than a player. Successful coaches know that drafting a team, building a playbook and developing game strategies are the keys to winning," said Mike Martz, head coach of the St. Louis Rams.

The NFL Showdown 2002 sports card game is available in two-player Starter Sets (MSRP $19.99), draft packs (MSRP $9.99) and booster packs ($3.29). For more information on the NFL Showdown 2002 sport card game or the NFL Showdown League or to view an online demo of the game, go to wizards.com/Showdown.

Founded by the NFLPA in 1994, PLAYERS INC creates and develops marketing opportunities for current and former NFL players. Representing over 1,800 active and 3,000 retired NFL players, PLAYERS INC "takes the helmets off the players," giving fans the opportunity to see the players' personalities and talents off the field. PLAYERS INC is involved in licensed merchandise programs, corporate sponsorships and promotions, special events and music and video recordings, as well as television, radio and Internet (nflplayers.com) media. PLAYERS INC schedules more than 1,000 NFL player appearances each year.

Wizards of the Coast is the worldwide market share leader in the trading card game and tabletop roleplaying game categories. Wizards of the Coast 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. The company holds an exclusive patent on the play mechanic of trading card games (TCGs) and produces the world's best-selling Pokemon(R) and Magic: The Gathering(R) TCGs. Wizards of the Coast is also one of the world's leading fantasy and science fiction book publishers and is a publisher of adventure games such as the classic Dungeons & Dragons(R) game, family card and board games and electronic media products. Headquartered near Seattle, Washington, Wizards of the Coast has international offices in Antwerp, Paris, Milan, London, Beijing and Sydney. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website and electronic retail store at wizards.com.

The PlayGrid is manufactured for Wizards of the Coast by Tiger Electronics.(R),(TM)&(c)2001 Tiger Electronics, a division of Hasbro Inc. All Rights Reserved.

(c)2001 NFL Properties Inc. The NFL Shield logo and all other (NFL-related marks) are trademarks of the National Football League. Team names and logos are trademarks of the teams indicated. Officially Licensed Product of PLAYERS INC.

Pokemon is a registered trademark of Nintendo.

Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering, The PlayGrid, Dungeons & Dragons and Showdown are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc.(c)2001 Wizards.

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