From DECIPHER.com:

(NORFOLK, Va., April 29, 2002) Decipher Inc. announced today it will donate over one million dollars in product, promotional materials, and financial backing to the Star Wars Customizable Card Game? Player's Committee. The Star Wars CCG Player's Committee, a non-profit group of volunteers from amoung the best players and promoters of the Star Wars CCG, were appointed in February 2002 to continue support and tournament organization of the game indefinitely.

Decipher's donation to the Player's Committee will be used for tournament support and to help retailers provide for their community of local players. The gift includes everything from full displays of product to never-before-seen items, such as over 100 different variations of uncut sheets and complete sets of nearly every promotional foil card Decipher has ever produced! Also, the creators of the games will be signing certain collectibles free of charge for the Player's Committee. The Star Wars CCG Player's Committee also will receive promotional materials for the Young Jedi? CCG and Jedi Knights? TCG allowing them to foster the playing communities and growth of those games as well. Decipher will be providing technical support for the continuation of its tournament ranking system for the games.

"It is my hope that this donation will make great strides in keeping these games in the hearts and minds of all the players who've been committed to them for so long," said Decipher Chairman and CEO Warren Holland. "Our customers invested nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in these games and we will not abandon them. While I'm disappointed that Decipher will no longer introduce new cards based on the Star Wars property, I'm very excited that the games are now in the hands of the players. I look forward to all the great things that will come from the Player's Committee and retailers in the years to come."

Since its inception, the Player's Committee has announced a championship series of tournaments, including the World Championship, which will take place at DecipherCon 2002, October 31-November 3. Decipher donated over $10,000 in prize money for the championship. The Player's Committee is also introducing new gameplay for existing cards and maintaining the official FAQs, which are free for anyone to download off the Internet. The Player's Committee also established an active volunteer corps called the "Shadow Squadron."