Wizards of the Coast has announced that it is developing an all-new collectible card game based on Hasbro's original action figure brand, G.I. Joe.  The G.I. Joe CCG is scheduled for the fall of 2004 in order to coincide with the brand's fortieth anniversary.

Forty years ago Hasbro figured out how to sell dolls to boys by dressing them up in fatigues and call them 'action figures.'  The name G.I. Joe, made famous during World War II by correspondent Ernie Pyle, was another brilliant stroke by Hasbro, but the company really hit the jackpot with the property in the 1980s when it went beyond the character's generic origins as a typical G.I. and created both the Joe 'team' (Duke, Snake Eyes, Agent Scarlett), and its evil antagonist, Cobra (Cobra Commander, Destro, Storm Shadow) in a series of comic books and TV cartoons.  WotC is basing its game on the rich mythology created for the 1980s G.I. Joe comics and cartoons.

In the fall of 2004, WotC will release the first G.I. Joe CCG in a two-player starter set and randomized booster packs with each card featuring dynamic artwork, which will bring the action of the cartoon series and comics into every player's deck.  The G.I. Joe Vs. Cobra storyline makes it a natural for a head-to-head CCG, and WotC is formatting its G.I. Joe CCG so that players will get to command their own G.I. Joe or Cobra team by building their decks with iconic characters from the cartoon and comic series. 

WotC is planning to release expansion sets for its G.I. Joe CCG in 2005.  With the G.I. Joe cartoons appearing on DVD in 2004 (see 'Rhino To Release Season One G.I. Joe DVD'), the popular G.I. Joe comics from Devil's Due, new G.I. Joe toys from Hasbro, and now a CCG from WotC, retailers will have plenty of merchandise available to help them take advantage of the property's fortieth anniversary.