Cartoon Network will air a 90-minute special to introduce the new series, DUEL MASTERS, on Feb. 27, 2004 at 5:30 pm. The series will then air Saturdays at 7:00 pm, starting March 13, during Cartoon Network's Saturday action/adventure programming block. CN acquired the series from Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc.
"DUEL MASTERS is proving to be the most popular entertainment property for boys in Japan," said James Szubski, Wizards of the Coast's brand manager for DUEL MASTERS. "We have exciting plans for DUEL MASTERS in the U.S. At the center will be the trading card game, fusing Wizards' great game design and the hottest fantasy art coming out of Japan.
Releases are underway in the U.S. of a DUEL MASTERS comic book series, DUEL MASTERS trading card game, DUEL MASTERS action figures from Hasbro and a DUEL MASTERS Gameboy game from Atari Inc. as well as the launch of an online DUEL MASTERS club on www.duelmasters.com.
The series centers on Shobu Kirifuda, who loves to play the special trading card game DUEL MASTERS. A few elite players can actually bring the card creatures to life. Doing so requires passion and discipline, as well as a type of martial art, Kaijudo, "the art of battling with giant monsters," which helps develop and strengthen this ability. Shobu is a good and passionate duelist who learns to tap into the power of an alternate dimension where creatures and the magic in the game actually exist. Shobu must go into the game to find his father, a Kaijudo master. As Shobu searches for his missing father, who has vanished into the card dimension, he gains notoriety and skill as a duelist, and is often guided by memories of his father.
Saturday night is Cartoon Network's home for its best animated action/adventure programming that includes TEEN TITANS, DRAGONBALL GT and CYBORG 009. Cartoon Network, seen in 86.2 million U.S. homes and 145 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting Systems ad-supported cable service offering 24/7 animated entertainment.
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. Wizards is also a leading publisher of role-playing games, such as DUNGEONS AND 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.
