Wizards of the Coast to Close Retail Stores

RENTON, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 28, 2003--Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., (NYSE:HAS), announced today it will be closing its chain of retail stores, including Wizards of the Coast stores and the affiliated The Game Keeper stores. The company has retained Gordon Brothers Group, LLC of Boston to assist with the closure, which should be completed within approximately 60 days.
The move out of the retail store business will enable a deeper focus on Wizards' core business of game design, company officials said. Wizards' trading card games and role-playing games -- from Magic: The Gathering(R) to Dungeons & Dragons(R) -- are among the biggest brands in the hobby game industry.

Wizards of the Coast, Inc., is a worldwide leader in the trading card game and tabletop role-playing game categories, and a leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products. The company holds an exclusive patent on trading card games (TCGs) and their method of play and produces the premier trading card game, Magic: The Gathering, among many other trading card games and family card and board games. Wizards is also a leading publisher of role-playing games, such as Dungeons & Dragons, and publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times best-sellers.

For more information, visit the Wizards of the Coast website at www.wizards.com.

Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering, and Dungeons & Dragons are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast Inc. (C)2003 Wizards.