Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds Goes Gold

Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds Goes
Gold

Xbox title slated to hit store shelves
November 18

Atari today announced that the Magic: The
Gathering™ – Battlegrounds for the Xbox® videogame system from Microsoft and PC
CD-ROM has gone gold. Developed for Atari by Secret Level, Magic: The Gathering™
– Battlegrounds is set for a November 18th release date. Magic: The Gathering –
Battlegrounds is based on the incredibly popular trading card game created by
Wizards of the Coast. The game is filled with faithful card game translations of
classic creatures, spells and enchantments and presented in a visually stunning
3D game environment rife with real-time strategic fighting, devastating wizard
arsenals and intense creature combat.

Product Highlights:

• Xbox Live Enabled — Magic: The Gathering –
  Battlegrounds takes full advantage of Xbox Live with a robust set of features
  including online dueling and chat capabilities, a complete ranking system and
  statistic tracking. In addition, new creatures, sorceries, enchantments and
  arenas will be made available to players for download after launch.

• Creatures, Creatures, Creatures — Magic:
  The Gathering – Battlegrounds will feature dozens of creatures that can be
  utilized by duelists throughout the game. Creatures include the Goblin King
  (red), who improves the performance of any other goblin under player control;
  the Krovikan Vampire (black) who can “resurrect” enemy units to serve his side
  after defeating them in combat; the unstoppable Avatar of Might (green), who
  can trample through defending forces and still attack the opposing duelist;
  the Warrior Angel (white), who can heal the controlling duelist with the
  damage she deals in combat; and, Horned Turtle (blue) who acts as a barrier to
  all ground units.

• Super Sorceries – While creatures get all
  the headlines an effective sorcery can unleash a devastating, game-ending,
  world-of-hurt with one simple spell cast. Red features some of the most
  devastating sorceries with show stoppers including, Inferno, Scorching Missile
  and Engulfing Flames, which all deal varying amounts of damage to creatures
  and duelists alike. Not to be left out, the other colors also feature a horde
  of deadly spells, including Hellfire (black), which instantly kills all
  non-black creatures; Overrun (green), which grants all green creatures bonuses
  to attack and defense as well as the ability to trample opponents; Spelljack
  (blue), which allows a blue duelist to literally steal an opposing players
  spell if timed correctly; and, Demystify (white), which destroys an enemy
  duelist’s last cast enchantment.

• Enchanting Enchantments – Just as important
  as any creature or sorcery, enchantments can easily swing the tide of battle.
  Gratuitous Violence (red) grants all creatures with improved attacking power;
  Test of Endurance (white) alters win conditions by granting the first player
  to reach 50 health the victory; Liability (black) causes damage to any duelist
  whenever their creatures perish; and, Pendrill Mists (blue), which steals mana
  from any duelist after a creature respawns in battle.

• Choose Your Battlefield — Magic: The
  Gathering – Battlegrounds will initially feature more than 15 arenas to battle
  in. While featuring similar play mechanics, each arena is unique and relates
  to key geographic areas found in the Magic universe. Arenas include Maraxus’
  Volcanic Forge, Akroma’s Castle Lucetos, Ishan’s Forbidden Fen and Multani’s
  Everfall among many others.

Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds will be
available at retail stores nationwide on November 18th for Xbox and PC and will
feature an estimated retail price of $49.95 and an ESRB rating of “T” for Teen.
For more information, contact Brandon Smith at 310.595.2154 or bsmith@atari.com.