Peter Adkison
Peter Adkison sat in a room filled with the smell of old paper and cardboard in 1978. He played strategy games as a child, but nothing prepared him for Dungeons & Dragons. A friend named Terry Campbell introduced him to the game that year. The experience blew him away according to his own recollection. This moment sparked a lifelong obsession with role-playing games. Adkison and his friends began discussing how to start their own company. They chose the name Wizards of the Coast from a guild within one of their player characters. That name would eventually become a brand for self-published wargames in the early 1980s.
Wizards of the Coast officially formed on the 23rd of May 1990. Peter Adkison worked at Boeing as a systems analyst while planning this venture. He suggested the idea to Ken McGlothlen, another friend who joined the effort. The new company started work immediately on The Primal Order by Adkison. This project did not release until April 1992. Adkison then asked Richard Garfield to create a cheaper production game than RoboRally. Garfield developed Magic: The Gathering which launched in 1993. The success of that card game allowed Adkison to quit Boeing and work full-time for the company he helped build.
TSR faced financial insolvency in 1996 when Ryan Dancey arranged a deal for Adkison to buy it. Wizards of the Coast announced the purchase of TSR on the 10th of April 1997. Adkison paid approximately US$30 million including all debts owed by the struggling publisher. He also bought Five Rings Publishing Group as part of that same transaction. Mary Kirchoff managed the book publishing division after the acquisition. Bill Slavicsek became head of role-playing game research and development. Lisa Stevens took charge of the RPGA and Greyhawk brand management. Adkison improved relationships with Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson through favorable legal arrangements. He restored ties with authors Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, and R.A. Salvatore during this period.
Hasbro purchased Wizards of the Coast in 1999. Peter Adkison began working on a Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG based on designs from Richard Garfield and Skaff Elias. Game designer Ed Stark recalled Adkison saying computer gaming was the future of roleplaying. Hasbro folded those rights into Hasbro Interactive before selling them to Infogrames. This left Wizards unable to publish their own D&D computer games. Adkison submitted his resignation which became effective the 31st of December 2000. He sold Wizards of the Coast to Hasbro in January 2001. The former CEO entered semi-retirement to focus on rock-climbing and lying around.
Adkison had been attending Gen Con since 1992 when he first visited the event. In May 2002 he purchased Gen Con from Hasbro after leaving Wizards of the Coast. He stated that he has always loved the convention. The annual game gathering operates as a major yearly event in the Midwest today. Adkison continued to run two Dungeons & Dragons campaigns while playing in three others by 2002. His personal involvement with the hobby remained deep even as his business roles shifted away from the company he founded.
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Common questions
When did Peter Adkison form Wizards of the Coast?
Wizards of the Coast officially formed on the 23rd of May 1990. Peter Adkison worked at Boeing as a systems analyst while planning this venture.
How much money did Peter Adkison spend to buy TSR in 1997?
Adkison paid approximately US$30 million including all debts owed by the struggling publisher when Wizards of the Coast announced the purchase of TSR on the 10th of April 1997. He also bought Five Rings Publishing Group as part of that same transaction.
What year did Peter Adkison leave Wizards of the Coast for Hasbro?
Peter Adkison submitted his resignation which became effective the 31st of December 2000 and sold Wizards of the Coast to Hasbro in January 2001. This occurred after Hasbro purchased Wizards of the Coast in 1999.
Who introduced Peter Adkison to Dungeons & Dragons in 1978?
A friend named Terry Campbell introduced him to the game that year. The experience blew him away according to his own recollection and sparked a lifelong obsession with role-playing games.
When did Peter Adkison purchase Gen Con from Hasbro?
In May 2002 he purchased Gen Con from Hasbro after leaving Wizards of the Coast. He stated that he has always loved the convention.