 FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WIZARDS OF THE COAST PARTNERS WITH
DRAGONSTAR SOFTWARE TO OFFER ONLINE PLAY FOR
MAGIC: THE GATHERING TRADING CARD GAME
February 26, 1999 (Seattle, Wash.)--Adventure games
leader Wizards of the Coast Inc. and Dragonstar Software
announced today that the two companies will partner to
re-release Dragonstar's Apprentice and NetDraft
software programs beginning March 1, 1999. The programs
were developed to offer online game play for the world's
bestselling Magic: The Gathering trading card
game. Dragonstar Software had withdrawn the software
programs from the Internet at the request of Wizards of
the Coast due to the software's unauthorized use of
intellectual property owned by Wizards of the Coast.
Christopher Warden of Dragonstar Software said,
"We look forward to working closely with Wizards of
the Coast and appreciate their support of Apprentice
and Netdraft. We would also like to thank the Magic
community for their support."
According to Joel Mick, vice president of the Magic:
The Gathering product group, "Dragonstar
Software's developers have created a compelling online
play experience for the Magic community. As the
new sponsor of Apprentice, we want to support this
popular method of game play. Wizards of the Coast's
long-term goal is to provide Magic players with
the best online play experience possible, and players
should expect several exciting new releases in the years
ahead."
Jeff Christianson, Wizards of the Coast's senior vice
president of business development and general counsel,
said, "Dragonstar Software understood and
acknowledged Wizards of the Coast's need to protect its
intellectual property rights in Magic: The Gathering.
We appreciate the company's cooperation and
professionalism in resolving this matter and look forward
to working with Dragonstar."
The Magic: The Gathering trading card game was
developed by award-winning game designer and
mathematician Richard Garfield. In this intense game of
strategy, players battle to reduce each other's score
from 20 to 0 through a series of attack and defense moves
using cards with varying numerical values. These
illustrated cards depict fantastic monsters and
imaginative worlds. With an estimated fan base of more
than six million players, the Magic game is played
in social and competitive settings, including the
prestigious $1 million Magic: The Gathering Pro
Tour circuit. Played in more than 52 countries worldwide,
the Magic game is supported by the DCI players'
organization, the governing authority for all officially
sanctioned Magic tournaments. Helping both amateur
and professional Magic players track their
rankings, the DCI staff currently sanctions more than
60,000 Magic tournaments around the world per
year.
Dragonstar is an online software development group
founded by Christopher Warden. The company started
working on Apprentice in 1996 and continues its
development through the efforts of lead programmer Ryan
Davis and many others. In 1998, Eric Lewandowski joined
the Dragonstar team to work on the popular Magic: The
Gathering drafting utility, called NetDraft.
For information about Dragonstar and its products, or to
download Apprentice or Netdraft, visit the
Dragonstar website at <www.dragonstudios.com>.
Wizards of the Coast is a leading developer and
publisher of entertainment products, including the
world's bestselling Magic: The Gathering trading
card game. Wizards of the Coast subsidiaries include TSR
Inc. and Five Rings Publishing Group Inc. Headquartered
just outside Seattle, Wizards of the Coast has
international offices in Antwerp, Paris, Milan, Beijing
and London. For more information, visit the company's
website at <www.wizards.com>.
If you have any questions, contact Technical Support
at <custserv@wizards.com>
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