Dungeons & Dragons Online Beta Testing Begins

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Written by BuckGB on November 1st, 2005

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DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINEâ„¢: STORMREACHâ„¢ KICKS OFF PUBLIC BETA WITH IGN

Beta for "Most-Anticipated MMO" To Launch On Top-Ranked Gaming Network

WESTWOOD, Mass., November 1, 2005 - Turbine, Inc. announced today that Dungeons & Dragons Onlineâ„¢: Stormreachâ„¢ is officially in public Beta and that IGN Entertainment will be the exclusive host. As part of the arrangement, IGN will widely promote the Beta to the millions of gamers who regularly visit IGN's sites, including IGN.com.

The Dungeons & Dragons® property is under license from the Hasbro Properties Group, the intellectual property development arm of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) and is based on the classic role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast, a Hasbro subsidiary.

"We are excited about opening the public Beta with IGN," said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. "An outstanding game like Dungeons & Dragons Online deserves a great Beta partner."

"Our readers recently voted Dungeons & Dragons Online as their 'most anticipated MMO' game," said Jamie Berger, VP and General Manager, Consumer Products Group, IGN Entertainment. "Not surprisingly, we are delighted to be the exclusive host of the Beta and to offer those players a first crack at the only MMOG inspired by the legendary role-playing game."

"Fan acceptance is very important to the overall success of any game," said Rachel Hoagland, director of Digital Entertainment for the Hasbro Properties Group. "We are thrilled that Turbine is tapping into the gaming community, specifically the D&D fan base to ensure Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach delivers an authentic and satisfying D&D and MMO experience."

Turbine also announced today that all of the players who registered for the Alpha will be automatically enrolled in the Beta pool from which Beta invitations will be sent. That announcement could not come soon enough for the 150,000 eager players who applied for the Alpha program but could not get in due to the overwhelming response. Current members of Turbine's Beta Rewards program and the Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach Community Forums have an increased chance of being invited to participate in the Beta. New players can sign up at www.fileplanet.com/promotions/ddo_stormreach/.

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach is the first and only massively multiplayer online role-playing game MMORPG based on the world-renowned DUNGEONS & DRAGONS brand franchise from Wizards of the Coast. This innovative online world features highly customizable characters built from authentic DUNGEONS & DRAGONS races, abilities, skills, and feats; real-time action combat; dangerous dungeons with devious traps; hand-crafted, private adventures; monsters and stories from the action-packed and intrigue-laced EBERRON® campaign setting; and award-winning visuals.

ABOUT TURBINE

Turbine, Inc. is a premier producer, publisher and operator of online subscription entertainment and is headquartered in Westwood, Mass. The Company is the largest privately held online games company in North America. Turbine's catalogue includes some of the most famous online entertainment brands, including Asheron's Call®, Dungeons & Dragons® Online: Stormreach™ and The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™. For more information on Turbine and its services, please visit www.turbine.com.

ABOUT IGN

IGN Entertainment is a leading Internet media and services company focused on the videogame and entertainment enthusiast markets. IGN's properties collectively attract more than 30 million unique monthly users worldwide. IGN's network of videogame-related properties (IGN.com, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, 3D Gamers, Direct2Drive and others) is the web's number one videogame information destination and attracts one of the largest concentrated audiences of young males on the Internet.

ABOUT THE HASBRO PROPERITES GROUP

The Hasbro Properties Group (HPG), the intellectual property development arm of Hasbro, Inc., (NYSE:HAS), translates one of the industry's richest portfolios of brands into a world of fun and excitement for children and adults globally. Through a host of publishing, lifestyle and entertainment platforms, HPG is able to surround fans worldwide with consumer products that expand Hasbro's core brands, such as TRANSFORMERS, DUEL MASTERS, MY LITTLE PONY, MONOPOLY and CANDY LAND, beyond the toy and game aisle, creating rich lifestyle experiences.

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