Mayfair Lands 3 Nominees for Origins ‘07 Honors

Skokie, IL - (May 24, 2007) – Three different titles from Mayfair Games, Inc. have received nominations for top game awards. These nominations will be announced at the upcoming Origins 2007 International Game Expo and Fair, one of the world’s largest game trade and consumer fairs.

Will Niebling, Chief Executive Officer of Mayfair Games, said, “It’s an honor to be recognized with the nominations for the Origins Awards because not only is it an acknowledgement from extremely successful and knowledgeable people in the industry, it carries an unbiased credibility and valued reputation to the consumer.”

Mayfair Games‘ Hey! That’s My Fish and Shear Panic games are both nominated for Board Game of the Year. Mayfair’s The Settlers of Catan® Event Deck is nominated for the Games Accessory of the Year. In addition, Mayfair’s games are now eligible for the overall Origins Gamer’s Choice award for Game of the Year.

“I’m very glad to see the diversity of the nominations Mayfair received. The Settlers of Catan® is an international favorite game and Mayfair’s best selling game series of all time… Our new board games Shear Panic and Hey! That’s My Fish, are light-hearted, colorful animal-character driven, quick-play family games,” Niebling explained. “We are glad to see the hobby and games industry expanding and rejuvenating an alternative entertainment resource for families and social interaction in mainstream America.”

About Origins:
Origins 2007 International Game Expo and Fair is the official consumer convention of the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA). One of the nation's largest and longest-running game expositions, it’s the venue for presentation of the Origins Awards. The Origins fair is one of the nation's largest and longest-running game expositions, and draws consumers from all over the U.S. and most of the world. The 33rd Annual Origins International Game Expo will take place from July 5-8, 2007 in its traditional site at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. There, buyers, retailers, and game enthusiasts will all gather in one display, demonstration, and sales arena.

About Origins Awards:
Every year, game publishers and creators submit their best products in a variety of Origins Award categories. The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design and GAMA executives judge and select The Origins Awards Nominees. The top five vote-getters in each category earn a place on the final ballot. Then, members of the Academy vote on which products should be named as Origins Award winners.

All nominated games also become eligible for the Gamer’s Choice Game of the Year award. Voting for this award is open to everyone. Voters rate their top five games. The game with the highest rating wins the award.

Fellows of the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design (AAGAD) include published game designers, writers, artists, and other game creators. Membership in the Academy is open to anyone working professionally in the game industry who has three published gaming credits.

About Mayfair Games:
The Mayfair Games® brand encompasses a wide array of great board games, card games, dice games, and party games, including one of the world’s best selling game brands of all-time, The Settlers of Catan®. The Mayfair catalog of over 150 products offers a variety of fun and usually educational games that are full of intrigue, interaction, and replay value. In addition to being the world’s leading train game manufacturer, Mayfair publishes games under the daVinci, Amigo, Phalanx, and Catan brand categories. The company provides complete diversity in its products to satisfy all game enthusiasts. The topics of Mayfair games range from kid-friendly animals and the Wild, Wild West to collecting rare specimens in the Amazon and saving citizens from the fall of Pompeii.