Gameco WizKids taps into hot comic properties

Hoping to latch onto the same momentum that saw Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card games (TCGs) become global phenomena, Seattle, Washington-based WizKids has come out with a hybrid that melds the popularity of TCGs, miniature role-playing games and comic characters. Marvel HeroClix: Infinity Challenge - the first incarnation of the game that features 150 figures based on the comic universe's heroes and villains, including The Hulk, Spider-Man and Wolverine - sold more than 1.3 million units during May 2002, its first month on store shelves. It was shortly followed by DC HeroClix: Hypertime in September, which features characters like Batman and Superman and sold more than one million starter sets and booster packs within the first six weeks of release.