NEWS RELEASE
DECIPHER TRADING CARD GAME STUDIO
DECIPHER ANNOUNCES
BEYBLADE™ TRADING CARD GAME
Feel the Friction... Sense the Spin...
A New "Revolution" in Trading Card Games!
(Norfolk, VA–September 29, 2003) – Decipher is proud to announce
that it has acquired a license from d-rights Inc. via Corus Entertainment's
Nelvana to produce a new trading card game based on the popular ABC Family
cartoon and extreme-sport toy phenomenon, BEYBLADE. The Beyblade Trading
Card Game (TCG) will be introduced in stores worldwide for the 2003 holiday
season.
The Beyblade Phenomenon is in Full Spin!
Since Beyblade's introduction in Japan over three years ago, millions of
Beyblade tops have been sold around the world with new products launching
monthly through 2004. The excitement for these battling tops has been so
extreme that the world championship in Tokyo sold out in one day and attracted
15,000 spectators! The Beyblade Battle Association (BBA) has events planned
throughout North America in 2003 and 2004.
Beyblade's success has now reached far beyond Japan. The television show,
which airs nine times per week on ABC Family, has also seen unprecedented
ratings. Currently it is one of the top rated shows among boys ages 9-14.
In the United Kingdom, it's the #1 series on Cartoon Network UK among kids
ages 4-15 and 10-15. The show also maintains top ratings in Latin America,
Canada, Germany and Australia. Beyblade VFORCE! will air this fall and will
include 51 new episodes. In addition, the Japanese Beyblade movie showed
record-breaking sales with over 85,000 children attending on the first day
alone. A massive global advertising campaign is currently underway and incorporates
a cross marketing campaign with companies such as Burger King, Kellogg's
and Frito Lay.
Other products surrounding the Beyblade property include a game launching
on Nintendo Game Cube during Fall 2003 with additional titles and platforms
in 2004.
About the game
To recreate the suspense and fast paced action of a Beyblade battle, Decipher's
Beyblade TCG combines the simple mechanics of a draw-and-play trading card
game with revolutionary new mechanics that actually challenge players to
keep their tops spinning. Each player fields a battling top and then proceeds
to play cards to hit and knock the opponent's top out of the battle arena.
Card play is fast and furious. Famous characters from the hit television
show, such as Kai and Tyson, lend their help in the form of unique character
cards that allow their experience and techniques to power your blade to
victory. Event cards also allow you to build a personal deck strategy to
help score lethal hits more effectively.
With two different play levels, the Beyblade TCG is accessible to even
the youngest TCG players. In its simplest form, players as young as seven-years-old
can play a simplified color-matching version of the game. For the more advanced
players, game text and more complex deck building offer deeper strategies
and a more multifaceted game experience.
With Decipher's exquisite art and exciting screen shots from the TV show,
this first set of over 130 cards will be just as thrilling to collect, as
it is to play. An added bonus is the powerful foil xtra-rare cards found
in booster packs. The Beyblade TCG targets players age 7 and up.
Look for special retail and mass market cross promotions introducing more
unique foil cards and powers for Beyblade TCG players. In addition, new
expansions will be introduced every four months to keep the "Blader Jam"
rocking!
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