In 2017, Chris Cocks (then the CEO of Wizards of the Coast) started an effort to continue the expansion of the firm's intellectual property into video games. This concerned both Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons.
History
By December of 2017, a half-dozen video-games were in development for Magic: the Gathering.Brian Crecente (December 27, 2017), "Chasing Innovation Inside the Company Behind D&D, Magic and Avalon Hill", Rollingstone.com</ref>[1]
Cryptic ARPG
Development of a free-to-play Magic themed role-playing videogame was announced on June 7, 2017.[2]
Originally marketed as an MMORPG (massively-multiplayer online role-playing game) it was to be a collaboration between Wizards of the Coast, Cryptic Studios and Perfect World. Cryptic Studios is an American video game developer specializing in massively multiplayer online role-playing games.[3] It is responsible for the major MMO hits Star Trek Online, Champions Online and Neverwinter (based on WotC-owned Dungeons & Dragons).
| “ | Experience stunning visuals and sound as we bring Magic to life in this next generation MMORPG. As a Planeswalker, you explore amazing worlds, combat powerful creatures, and meet the legendary beings that shape the fate of the multiverse. | ” |
Cryptic Studios CEO Stephen D'Angelo explained that his "intent is to go forward with a Magic game that is not about the card game. It's about jumping into the world and the fiction of Magic: The Gathering." [4]
The name of the game, Magic: Legends, was officially revealed on December 12, 2019, at The Game Awards, a year and a half after the game was announced to be in development.[5] It will shut down on October 31, 2021, due to poor financial performance.[6][7]
Netmarble MOBA
On February 5, 2018, Wizards of the Coast and South Korean mobile phone giant Netmarble Games announced they were working on Project M, the codename for a new game for smartphones coming sometime in that year.[8] They called Project M a “multiplayer battling game” in which “players show off their creativity and strategy as they battle across the planes of the "Magic: The Gathering Multiverse", and “game avatars will be fully animated as they race across the battlefield to defeat their opponent.” The released video and images look like a multiplayer online battle arena, or MOBA.[9]
ManaStrike officially launched globally on January 30, 2020.[10] In November 2020, less than a year after its launch, a termination notice was posted in the game's official forum. The game servers remained open until February 24, 2021.[11]
Planesiege
On January 23, 2018, WOTC filed two new trademarks: "Manastrike" (later revealed to be the Netmarble game) and "Planesiege". The latter also specifically refers to electronic, online multiplayer gaming.[12]
Tuque Games
In October 2019, Wizards of the Coast acquired Montreal-based Tuque Games. Tuque had already been working on a game using Wizards' Dungeons & Dragons license and aimed to continue to work on video games employing the tabletop gaming company's stable of brands.[13] Their first result was Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance.
Expansion
By 2022, Hasbro / Wizards of the coast had six Video studios, many working on unannounced projects: Skeleton Key, Atomic Arcade, an unnamed studio in Eastgate, Washington, Archetype Entertainment, Tuque Games and MTG Arena.[14] In october 2022, Tuque Games was renamed to Invoke Studios.[15]
Post-pandemic relapse
In 2023, Wizards of the Coast canceled at least five D&D or Magic video games amid a post-pandemic contraction in the video game industry.[16]
Expanding again
As of 2024, Hasbro is looking to invest more in Magic's video-game format. Sales of the fantasy card game have grown each of the last six years, and in 2022 crossed $1 billion in revenue. Cocks', now CEO of Hasbro, remarked that Magic Arena, while popular, didn’t harness Magic's two biggest growth areas: collectability and its 'Commander format, which involves more players and cards.[16]
As of December 2024, Hasbro is testing a video game version of Commander, which would potentially be separate from Arena and allow for more than two players to compete. Hasbro is also looking to make the digital versions of its cards more collectible, like the popular game Marvel Snap.[16]
References
- ↑ Zac Clark (February 8, 2018). "Wizards of the Coast President Chris Cocks on MTG Arena and the Future of Digital Magic", Hipstersofthecoast.com
- ↑ Mike Minotti (June 7, 2017). "Magic: the Gathering is becoming an MMO". Venturebeat.com
- ↑ www.crypticstudios.com/magic
- ↑ Brandan Sinclair (June 7, 2017). "Taking an IP and making it your own". Gamesindustry.biz
- ↑ David McCoy (December 12, 2019). "Magic: Legends, an MTG MMO, Revealed at the Game Awards". Hipsters of the Coast.
- ↑ Steve Ricossa (Jun 29, 2021). "Magic: Legends Shutting Down October 31, 2021". www.playmagiclegends.com
- ↑ Walz Music and Sound (June 29, 2021). "Devastating news to share. Cryptic Studios has decided to cancel Magic Legends for poor financial performance.". Twitter.
- ↑ Project M (YouTube)
- ↑ Jason Wilson (February 5, 2018). "Magic: The Gathering and Netmarble announce ‘Project M’ for mobile", Venturebeat.com
- ↑ Gary Catig (January 30, 2020). "Magic: ManaStrike Globally Launched And Available Now". ComicCon.com.
- ↑ Manaecho (November 6, 2020). "Magic: ManaStrike gets terminated". Manaecho.com.
- ↑ New WOTC Trademarks and Domain Registrations
- ↑ Brendan Sinclair (October 29, 2019). "Wizards of the Coast acquires Tuque Games". Gamesindustry.biz/.
- ↑ Stephen Totilo (August 15, 2022). "Hasbro plans to make a lot more video games". Axios.com.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (October 12, 2022). "Invoke Studios: a new name in Triple A video games in Montreal". Wizards.com.
- ↑ a b c Cecilia D'Anastasio (November 20, 2024). "Hasbro’s Gamer CEO to Focus on Play After Paring Film Assets". Bloomberg.com.