CHAOTIC® TRADING CARD GAME BUILDS MOMENTUM AT RETAIL AND ONLINE
Innovative Trading Card Game with Patented Online Functionality
Now Available at over 10,000 Locations
Over 2 Million Cards Registered, More Than 1 Million Visits
and Nearly 200,000 Games Played on ChaoticGame.com
4Kids Launches Multi-Million Dollar Advertising & Marketing Program To Further Support Chaotic® In the Marketplace
New York (February, 2008) – The Chaotic Trading Card Game™ – which integrates a collectible trading card game with a unique online game experience – is establishing itself as the exciting new game of the year. With robust distribution at major retailers nationwide, millions of cards in play online at www.ChaoticGame.com and a popular television series, momentum for the franchise is growing rapidly.
4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: KDE), the children’s entertainment powerhouse that turned the trading card-based properties Pokémon® and Yu-Gi-Oh! ® into worldwide sensations, and its subsidiary TC Digital Games LLC, have begun to unleash a multi-million dollar marketing and advertising program to further fuel the excitement for its new property.
In just over two months, the Chaotic Trading Card Game has firmly established a strong footprint at retail in both the specialty arena and mass market. The cards are now available in more than 10,000 locations across North America with a presence at such retail outlets as Target, Toys”R”Us, Wal-Mart, GameStop, Kmart, f.y.e. and Suncoast, as well as at hundreds of local comic and hobby stores.
The Chaotic® Online Game Experience continues to increase in popularity, with more than 2 million online cards registered, over one million online visits logged and nearly 200,000 games played online since its October 24, 2007 Beta launch. At the beginning of February 2008, traffic to the site has increased 50% from the first week of January. While the physical cards are currently only available in the U.S. and Canada, the online Chaotic game has been experienced by players from more than 70 different countries, many of who have acquired a limited number of virtual cards available through the Internet and have registered – further evidence of the global appeal of this multi-platform property.
“It’s very encouraging and satisfying to see that the recognition of the Chaotic Trading Card Game has reached a point where you can now find it at America’s favorite retailers,” said Bryan C. Gannon, President and CEO of TC Digital Games LLC. “With the support of these retailers we envision reaching many more Chaotic Game players and collectors for both the offline and online Chaotic Game. The Online Game at www.ChaoticGame.com continues to add new features during this important phase of development with Mugic, the musical spells of Chaotic being the most recent addition.”
4Kids Entertainment and TC Digital Games are supporting Chaotic with a multi-million dollar television advertising campaign on kid-targeted media including 4Kids TV™ (the four-hour kids’ block on FOX Saturday mornings), Cartoon Network, Jetix/Toon Disney, Nickelodeon, KidsWB (the CW network), along with tween demo fare on Adult Swim, G4 and MTV.
To further fuel the excitement, fans will soon be able to take the Chaotic experience to the next level with the launch of official Chaotic Organized Play programs. “Beginning this month, 4Kids Entertainment and TC Digital Games will provide comic and hobby stores nationwide with custom-designed resources to organize both casual and certified Chaotic tournaments for up to 20 players at a time,” added Gannon. “Each Organized Play program will offer players exciting prizes, including exclusive or variant Chaotic Trading Cards. In subsequent months, the program will expand to include Chaotic Hobby Leagues and Online Tournaments.”
Chaotic is the first property specifically utilizing patented technology to seamlessly integrate trading card game play with interactive Web-based functionality and an instructive nationally broadcast television series. These patents provide each Chaotic Trading Card with a unique alphanumeric code that enables Chaotic players to upload their personal card collection onto the Chaotic Online Game at www.ChaoticGame.com for no additional cost. Since its launch, additional new game play features, including “Locations,” three-on-three game play functionality and a Web-based trade sector that allows users to trade their Chaotic cards online with other players, has added interest and increased activity on ChaoticGame.com.
“Preliminary signs indicate that Chaotic is capturing the imagination, interest and involvement of kids across the country,” said Alfred R. Kahn, Chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. “We are encouraged by all the increasing activity – at retail, online and on screen.”
Complementing the Chaotic Trading Card Game is the Chaotic animated TV series, which airs Saturday mornings on the 4Kids TV block on FOX stations nationwide, daily on the Jetix block of Toon Disney and on Teletoon in Canada, where the show is the network’s #1 ranked program among Boys 2-11 (A.C. Nielsen 9/3/07–1/19/08). The series follows the adventures of a group of teens that are fans of the Chaotic Trading Card and Online Game. By watching the animated series, viewers can discover battle strategies that will ultimately help them master Chaotic for both online and offline game play.
About 4Kids Entertainment, Inc.
With U.S. headquarters in New York City, regional offices for its trading card business in San Diego, California and international offices in London, 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: KDE) is a global organization devoted to the creation, development, production, broadcasting, distribution, licensing and manufacturing of children’s entertainment products.
Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, 4Kids produces animated television series and films, distributes 4Kids’ produced or licensed animated television series for the domestic and international television and home video markets, licenses merchandising rights worldwide to 4Kids’ owned or represented properties, operates Web sites to support 4Kids’ owned or represented properties, and produces and markets collectible trading card games. Additionally, the Company programs and sells the national advertising time in a four-hour “4KidsTV” block which airs on nearly 200 affiliated FOX television stations Saturday mornings. Beginning in September 2008, the Company will also program and sell the national advertising time in the five-hour Saturday morning block on The CW television network.
Additional information is available on the www.4KidsEntertainment.com corporate web site and at the www.4Kids.tv game station site.
