About Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., is the pacesetter in the trading card game and tabletop roleplaying game categories, and the leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products. Wizards of the Coast is considered the global leader in hobby gaming, developing and publishing game based and other entertainment products celebrated the world over.
In 1999, Wizards of the Coast was acquired by Hasbro, Inc. The company is based in Renton, Washington and employs over 300 people. Its CEO is Loren Greenwood.
Magic is made every day at Wizards of the Coast, for if we have learned anything at all, it is this: When people with dreams and diligence get together, anything is possible.
History and Core Product Lines
Founded in 1990 by Peter Adkison, Wizards of the Coast rose to prominence in the hobby games market on the strength of the innovative and revolutionary trading card game (TCG) Magic: The Gathering
, the first game of its kind and the progenitor of a worldwide phenomenon in gaming. In 1997, the company was granted an exclusive patent on trading card games and their method of play.
Inseparably tangled with the creative independence synonymous with global youth culture, Magic: The Gathering is today published in nine languages and actively played in over two-dozen countries around the world. Featured in film, television, and art, Magic has been a voice of postmodern culture for over a decade. Its fantastical, otherworld settings have spawned the creative energies of a whole generation. In 2003, the Toy Industry Association ranked Magic: The Gathering among its “Top 100 Games of All Time.” Magic is also enjoyed by thousands of fans in a competitive multiplayer online environment format in Magic: The Gathering Online.
The 1997 acquisition of the acclaimed Dungeons & Dragon
roleplaying game (RPG) cemented Wizards’ role in the hobby games industry. The transfer to Wizards of the Coast of the half-century old Avalon Hill strategic board game line from Hasbro, Inc., further bolstered Wizards’ stable of iconic brands that today includes popular licensed properties such as a full-range of Star Wars licensed collectible games
.
Wizards launched into collectable prepainted plastic miniatures games in 2003 with the release of Dungeons & Dragons miniatures. This category of games proved to be a growth area for Wizards, and a licensed Star Wars line was add in 2004, and an Axis & Allies World War II miniatures game in 2005.
Not only the leader in game-based entertainment properties, Wizards of the Coast is also a publisher of fantasy and multigenre speculative fiction. The Wizards book publishing division has produced hundreds of titles that have sold millions of copies in over 16 languages. Books by Wizards of the Coast authors are staples on the New York Times bestseller list.
In recent years, the publishing division has launched the Mirrorstone Books imprint. It features young adult and children's novel lines.
Awards
Wizards of the Coast Inc. has been honored repeatedly for its commitment to producing imaginative and entertaining games.