WIZKIDS

'WizKids, Inc.' is an American Seattle-based company that first made its mark in the non-electronic game industry producing collectible miniatures wargames. The company was founded in 2000 by Jordan Weisman, a veteran of the game company FASA.^[1] It was purchased by sports-card manufacturer Topps, Inc. in 2003.^[2]

Contents

History

Games and products

Board Games

Collectable Card Games

Collectable Miniatures Games

Constructible Strategy Games

Pocketmodel Games

Other Games

References

External links

History

WizKids is best known for its collectible miniatures games (or CMGs) Mage Knight, HeroClix, MechWarrior, and HorrorClix, all of which make use of the company's patent pending "Clix" system, in which the changing combat statistics and abilities of each figure are indicated by a turnable dial inside the base underneath the figure. Their latest CMG is Halo ActionClix (based on the console game ''Halo''), released in August 2007.
Though they proved less successful, WizKids also produced the short-lived CMGs Crimson Skies, Shadowrun Duels, and Creepy Freaks, as well as a baseball-themed CMG called MLB SportsClix. A CMG called ToonClix was announced in March 2006, but cancelled before it was released.
In July 2004, WizKids created a new product category with the release of their first constructible strategy game (or CSG), Pirates of the Spanish Main, which retains a niche audience among gamers. Their next CSG was a science fiction game called Rocketmen, released in the summer of 2005, followed by a NASCAR CSG called RaceDay later that year, though these last two games are no longer being supported with new releases. By 2007, WizKids was also calling some of their releases involving CSG elements "Pocketmodel" games, beginning with the Star Wars PocketModel game.
In 2005, WizKids released their first collectible card game, High Stakes Drifter. This game has since been discontinued. In May 2006, they released their second CCG, a licensed ''Battlestar Galactica'' game based on the reimagined TV series.
WizKids has entered the board game market with a board game called Tsuro in 2005, followed in 2006 by Oshi and "", a board game based on the Pirates of the Spanish Main CSG.
The company also owns the rights to the role-playing games Shadowrun and MechWarrior, which they license to FanPro, the games' publisher.^[3]. A game created by the company called Zypods (with a physical structure similar to Matryoshka dolls) had a limited release, but was never distributed nationwide.

Games and products

''Product lines marked with a star (
★ ) are no longer actively supported or expanded by WizKids.''

Board Games

★ Oshi

★ Tsuro

★

Collectable Card Games

★ Battlestar Galactica
★

★ High Stakes Drifter
★

Collectable Miniatures Games

★ MageKnight
★

★ HeroClix

★
★ Marvel HeroClix

★
★ Indy HeroClix

★
★ DC HeroClix

★ HorrorClix

★

★ Halo ActionClix

★ Creepy Freaks
★

★ Crimson Skies
★

★ Shadowrun Duels
★

★ MLB SportsClix
★

★ ToonClix (Unreleased)

Constructible Strategy Games

★ Pirates of the Spanish Main

★ Rocketman
★

★ NASCAR RaceDay
★

★ Lord of the Rings CSG
★ ^[4]

Pocketmodel Games

★ Star Wars PocketModel Trading Card Game

★ Pirates of the Caribbean PocketModels

Other Games

★ Zypods
★

References

1. Company Information
2. The Topps Company, Inc. Completes Acquisition of Wizkids, LLC
3. FanPro FAQ
4. http://www.wizkidsgames.com/wk_article.asp?cid=39137&frame=Ourgames

External links

★ WizKids web site