One of the most powerful names in non-[[VideoGames digital gaming]].

Founded by Peter Adkinson in 1990, it started off as a publisher of TabletopGames, but ''really'' got its start when a fellow named Richard Garfield ([[RunningGag PhD]]) showed up with a CollectibleCardGame called ''MagicTheGathering'', the first prominent CCG and certainly the oldest one still extant. In 1997 Wizards bought TSR, manufacturers of ''DungeonsAndDragons'', and have aggressively expanded the franchise to include things like {{Eberron}}. Two years later they released the ''[[TabletopGame/{{Pokemon}} Pokémon Trading Card Game]]'' worldwide after its success in Japan, leading to the infamous Charizard craze and converting millions of impressionable young minds into Pikachu worship until their license expired in 2003. They published the ''LegendOfTheFiveRings'' franchise for a few years but eventually sold it back to AlderacEntertainment. They invented an entirely new card game to allow their Japanese franchised Magic manga to have an anime adaptation without actually using Magic in a way that they didn't entirely approve of, turning it into TabletopGame/DuelMasters. Through the original AOL-based ''NeverwinterNights'', they have had also influence on the MMORPG genre; D&D's 4th Edition was deliberately designed to echo aspects of online gaming. In 1999 they were purchased by Creator/{{Hasbro}}, where they have remained ever since; in fact, under Hasbro's guidance they have absorbed AvalonHill, which produces ''TabletopGame/AxisAndAllies'' and ''Risk2210AD'' (among others).

Wizards has an interesting track record at times; though many of its games (particularly the ones mentioned above) have been wildly successful, it also has a list of flops which is about twice as long (although quite a few of those flops (''{{Netrunner}}'', for example) were [[TooGoodToLast fondly remembered]], and only flops due to market saturation). It also applied for and was given a highly-controversial patent on the idea of "tapping" a game card to show it has been depleted somehow.

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