Star Trek CCG NOT Acquired by Triathan Games

by Charlie Plaine, Chairman

1st April 2010

Happy April Fool's Day! We're sorry our little joke fired some of you up! It was meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek and continue our tradition of big April Fool's Day announcements! Don't worry, we plan on sticking around to take care of First Edition and Second Edition for a long time!

Columbus, Ohio - Late last night, the final arrangements were made on a deal that will transfer all intellectual property rights of both the First Edition and Second Edition Star Trek Customizable Card Game (CCG). Negotiations between Decipher, Paramount Pictures, The Continuing Committee and Triathan Games have been ongoing for months and have finally resulted in a deal that will lead to the games' return to production.

"The future is bright, and this is a very exciting time for us and for the entire community of players," said Charles Plaine, Chairman of The Continuing Committee. "Our absolute priority is to ensure a smooth transition from the programs and tools the community has expected and build from there. Both editions of the game are fantastic in their own right, and will not be changing as we move forward. We hope the community will rest assured that we are committed to providing high quality products, tools, and organized play programs."

The deal transfers the rights to the games' intellectual property from Decipher to Triathan, and secures a multi-year license for the company from Paramount Pictures. In addition, a number of The Continuing Committee's volunteers have accepted full-time positions with Triathan Games and will continue their work for the new company. Charles Plaine will become the Brand Manager for both editions of the STCCG, while both Jason Robinette and Brad DeFruiter will take full-time positions as the Lead Designers for First and Second Edition, respectively.

Chris "Maelwys" Lobban will join Triathan as the Chief Technology Officer and has agreed to transfer all of his work for The Continuing Committee to Triathan. "I'm excited to be part of this new, amazing opportunity," said Mr. Lobban, "and thrilled that Triathan will be able to continue to offer the tournament system and the deck builder, free of charge, to members of this amazing community."

Organized Play will continue as scheduled, with Regional Events taking place worldwide, Continental Championships being held in July and August, and the 2010 World Championship in October in Germany. In addition, a number of new programs and tons of new prizes will be available from Triathan Games in the coming weeks. For now, Triathan is happy to allow players to continue to use virtual cards and authorized proxy cards for all events - including Regionals and Continentals - prior to the release of the boxed sets in September. However, all virtual cards and printable proxies must be replaced with physical copies by September 30, 2010. Starting on October 1st, printable proxies and virtual cards will no longer be legal in sanctioned play.

In order to facilitate this change, all of The Continuing Committee's virtual expansions will be printed and released as boutique boxed sets so that players can easily acquire the cards for use in future events. Each boxed set will contain one (1) copy of each card in its titular virtual expansion and will also include one (1) random foil promo selected from Series I through IV. Boxed sets of The Undiscovered Country, Favor the Bold, This Side of Paradise and Allegiance will be available in September at your local game store -- or online from the soon-to-be-launched Triathan website -- for $34.95. Raise the Stakes will be available for $49.95 and The Fifteenth Anniversary Collection, featuring all the cards from Things Past (1E), Things Past (2E), Chain of Command and Legacy will be available in a deluxe collector's package for $59.95.

In addition, the future is very bright for the games with two new one-hundred twenty (120) card expansions later this year. First Edition will make its return with Far Beyond the Stars in June, featuring new characters and new versions of old favorites from all five (5) series and ten (10) movies. Peak Performance, a Second Edition expansion, will be released in October 2010. In January 2011, players new and old will be able to join the fun of the Star Trek CCGs with Red Matter (1E), and Thrusters on Full (2E), double-sized expansions based on the 2009 smash film Star Trek and serving as new entry points to the game.

"Players are going to be thrilled with what we've cooked up for the movie expansion," said Brad DeFruiter. Jason Robinette agreed, saying "We've never had a collaboration like this before, and it's going to knock people's socks off!" The website for Triathan Games, and for both editions of the Star Trek CCGs, will be launched in the coming weeks. In the mean time, players should continue to use The Continuing Committee's website as the hub for news, events and information regarding the future of these fantastic games.

Decipher, founded by Warren Holland in 1983 and located in Norfolk is a worldwide leader in the collectible card game industry. The company developed the Star Trek™, Star Wars™, The Lord of the Rings™ and Fight Klub™ trading card games and also produces party games like How To Host A Murder® and How To Host A Teen Mystery™. Through the years Decipher has licensed many popular film and television properties and marketed a wide variety of successful game products.

Triathan Games is making its first foray into the world of collectible card games with the acquisition of the Star Trek license and both editions of the game. Formerly a developer of MMORPGs, Triathan is eager to break into this existing market with games that are beloved and popular, complete with an existing community so vibrant and friendly. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available. "Hopefully, nobody will forget this date," said Charlie Plaine, "it's one that everyone will remember forever!"

-djl-