May 6, 2005 (Renton, Wash.) -- On Sunday, May 8, Avalon Hill -- published by Seattle-based hobby-game leader Wizards of the Coast (NYSE: HAS) -- will announce the launch of Axis & Allies Miniatures, a revolutionary, new World War II themed wargame system set to hit store shelves in late summer of 2005. The announcement will coincide with the sixtieth anniversary of VE Day, commemorating the end of the war in Europe.

Axis & Allies Miniatures gives both novice wargamers and veteran grognards the ability to engage in historically authentic, squad-level tactical combat with detailed, 15mm scale, pre-painted plastic miniatures featuring varying degrees of rarity to enhance collectability. Hard-hitting, fast-paced game play makes every Axis & Allies Miniatures battle a blitzkrieg. Ready to play right out of the box, Axis & Allies Miniatures features easy-to-master rules that don’t sacrifice authenticity. A single skirmish can be played in under an hour, or players can advance their custom-constructed squad through a meat grinder of combat, battling from the hedgerows of Brittany to the steps of the Reich Chancellery.

“Axis & Allies Miniatures represents the crossroad between Avalon Hill's greatest wargame titles of yesteryear, such as Squad Leader and Up Front, and Wizards’ role as a pacesetter in tactical miniatures combat games,” said Linda Cox, brand manager for Avalon Hill at Wizards of the Coast. “There’s no politics in Axis & Allies Miniatures -- this is gritty combat in the trenches as only Avalon Hill can portray.”

The Axis & Allies name is best known as the title of a cult-classic strategic board game first published by Nova Games in 1981 and subsequently revised and expanded by Milton Bradley and Avalon Hill with Axis & Allies Europe, Axis & Allies Pacific, and Axis & Allies D-Day. Console and PC-game titles bearing the Axis & Allies name have also been produced by Hasbro Interactive and Atari. Axis & Allies Miniatures brings yet another dimension into the A&A game universe.

“Since 1957 the story of Avalon Hill has been inseparably tangled with the story of serious, strategy gaming. Axis & Allies Miniatures represents a bold rededication of Wizards’ commitment to the rich history and tradition at the heart of that brand,” said Kyle Murray, Director of Marketing at Wizards of the Coast. “Axis & Allies is the gold standard in WWII games; Axis & Allies Miniatures will meet and exceed our customers expectations.”

Base Set, featuring 48 soldiers and vehicles from WWII plus detailed hex maps of terrain representing the battlefields of Europe, will be first shown to the public at the Gencon game convention in Indianapolis this August and is set to hit store shelves on September 16th. A 48-figure expansion, bringing additional vehicles and troops into combat, will follow in December. More expansions are planned through 2006.

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