Upper Deck sues Ravensburger over the Disney Lorcana card game.

[Parmandur]

That doesn't make sense . . . that Magic sales are growing yet the game is shrinking.

How and where cards are sold is shifting. But that is different from shrinking. WotC is increasing their engagement with online retailers like Amazon, increasing their direct sales with Secret Lair, and dialing back support for local game stores. But sales have never been higher and the game is doing fine.

Also, Arena.

 

[MoonSong]

That doesn't make sense . . . that Magic sales are growing yet the game is shrinking.

How and where cards are sold is shifting. But that is different from shrinking. WotC is increasing their engagement with online retailers like Amazon, increasing their direct sales with Secret Lair, and dialing back support for local game stores. But sales have never been higher and the game is doing fine.

A short term spike isn't necessarily good for the mid and long-term. Just look at comicbooks in the early nineties. Lots of sales, but many of them weren't done to readers, instead mostly to speculative collectors. By the last part of the decade Marvel was bankrupt and had to get bailed out by new investors.

 

[Zardnaar]

That doesn't make sense . . . that Magic sales are growing yet the game is shrinking.

How and where cards are sold is shifting. But that is different from shrinking. WotC is increasing their engagement with online retailers like Amazon, increasing their direct sales with Secret Lair, and dialing back support for local game stores. But sales have never been higher and the game is doing fine.

Apparently premium product is selling standard has collapsed.

 

[Dire Bare]

A short term spike isn't necessarily good for the mid and long-term. Just look at comicbooks in the early nineties. Lots of sales, but many of them weren't done to readers, instead mostly to speculative collectors. By the last part of the decade Marvel was bankrupt and had to get bailed out by new investors.

So far, it hasn't been a short-term spike. Sales have been steadily increasing for quite some time.

 

[Dire Bare]

Also, Arena.

Sure, but . . . from what I've read, Arena has not cut into sales of the physical cards, but rather complemented them. So you have increasing sales of the physical card game, and then add Arena sales on top of that.

I'm one of the Magic fans that is growing more and more frustrated with the direction of the game. But WotC isn't going to change course any time soon, because what they are doing right now with the game seems to be working very well for them.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

So, for the legal people, does this case have any merit, or is it simply a case of trading card games having similar mechanics?

 

[darjr]

So, for the legal people, does this case have any merit, or is it simply a case of trading card games having similar mechanics?

Also it doesn’t look like it’ll delay the sales of Lorcan at the moment. Or does it?

 

[Parmandur]

So, for the legal people, does this case have any merit, or is it simply a case of trading card games having similar mechanics?

Not a lawyer, but I did dig into this. The issue at hand is that the lead designer of Lorca had worked at Upper Deck before changing companies, and there is a distinct possibility that he may have taken ideas for all upcoming game with him. Dunno if it will hold up, but it seems it may have enough merit that a settlement is likely.

 

[Parmandur]

Sure, but . . . from what I've read, Arena has not cut into sales of the physical cards, but rather complemented them. So you have increasing sales of the physical card game, and then add Arena sales on top of that.

I'm one of the Magic fans that is growing more and more frustrated with the direction of the game. But WotC isn't going to change course any time soon, because what they are doing right now with the game seems to be working very well for them.

Sure, absolutely, my point was that Arena doubled EotC the revenue it dropped on phones. So it is doing ok

 

[Bacon Bits]

That doesn't make sense . . . that Magic sales are growing yet the game is shrinking.

How and where cards are sold is shifting. But that is different from shrinking. WotC is increasing their engagement with online retailers like Amazon, increasing their direct sales with Secret Lair, and dialing back support for local game stores. But sales have never been higher and the game is doing fine.

Fewer people are buying more cards, and WotC is printing more cards than before. Hasbro has been targeting whales rather than the broader audience.

"10,498 card variations were printed [in 2022]: 14.7% of all cards in Magic history [up to that point]":