NEW YORK -- Sept. 8, 2004 -- Genio Group, Inc., a developer and marketer of innovative entertainment and leisure products, announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with MGM Consumer Products and Interactive, a unit of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. Genio has secured the rights to produce and market trading-card games (TCG) based on MGM's popular Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis television series. Pursuant to the license agreement, Genio will develop TCGs based on original characters and story lines in both the Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis television shows for distribution in North, Central and South American and European territories. Genio expects to introduce the first TCG based on the Stargate SG-1 franchise in April 2005, Genio's third quarter in fiscal 2005.
The Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis TV series are currently the two highest-rated programs on the Sci Fi Channel. Stargate SG-1 is in its eighth season of original programming on the Sci Fi Channel and is seen internationally in nearly 60 countries. Stargate: Atlantis, the exciting spin-off of Stargate SG-1, in its first season of programming. It features new characters and story lines that explore new realms of adventure in a distant galaxy via the Atlantis stargate.
Genio's launch product will be Stargate SG-1, a 140-card set available in 9-card booster packs and a pre-constructed deck of 50 cards. Each deck is designed around a stargate, a round portal that can instantaneously transport an object from one point in space to another when one stargate dials the address of another stargate. A stargate uses six symbols, representing star constellations, to locate another stargate and then uses a final seventh symbol, unique to each stargate, as its point of origin. The Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis-based TCGs are targeted to the television series' core audiences of adults as well as the emerging base of younger adults.
"We are particularly excited about our license agreement with MGM because of the strength of the Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis brands and the opportunity to broaden our consumer reach into the adult demographic, the sweet spot for viewers of these series and an extremely strong demographic for trading-card games," said Genio President Susan Eisner. "Based on Stargate SG-1's position as the top-rated basic-cable program amongst men in its time period, we believe this trading-card game has great potential, particularly in the North American market where we also have begun to develop distribution into the hobby and game, comic book, card retailer and other specialty stores in conjunction with our Myths and Legends product line."
About Genio Group, Inc.
Genio Group, Inc., is an innovative developer and creative marketer of entertainment and leisure products for kids, including collectible trading card games based on Marvel Super Heroes(TM), Mighty Beanz(TM) collectible characters and Latin America's top-selling collectible card game Myths and Legends. Genio products are available through a range of leading U.S. retailers (including Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, K-Mart, Toys-R-Us, Eckerd and Walgreens), hobby and game, comic book, card retailers and other specialty stores, as well as abroad in selected markets. For more information about Genio Group, visit http://www.genioinc.com.
Marvel and all related character names are TM & (C) 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved. Super Heroes is a co-owned registered trademark.
Mighty Beanz and all related character names are TM & (C) 2004 Moose Enterprises PTY Ltd. All rights are reserved.
Myths and Legends and all related character names are TM & (C) 2004 Salo S.A.. All rights are reserved.
