WotC Chris Cao has left WotC

Misanthrope Prime said:

I got to know Cao briefly when I ran the largest fansite for an MMO he helmed, DC Universe Online.

I remember that game having to be retooled partway through development because Cao read an article that a human being couldn't handle more than 8 options at a time, so he demanded the game's power system be changed so players can only use 8 abilities at a time (rather than a full MMO hotbar), causing a rather late game rebalance and redesign. It seems he may have taken that style of production to Sigil.

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michaeljpastor said:

And Magic's entire business model isn't?

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Misanthrope Prime said:

I got to know Cao briefly when I ran the largest fansite for an MMO he helmed, DC Universe Online.

I remember that game having to be retooled partway through development because Cao read an article that a human being couldn't handle more than 8 options at a time, so he demanded the game's power system be changed so players can only use 8 abilities at a time (rather than a full MMO hotbar), causing a rather late game rebalance and redesign. It seems he may have taken that style of production to Sigil.

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michaeljpastor said:

And Magic's entire business model isn't?

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MerricB said:

Cannibalized.

I would not be surprised if covid & lockdowns pushed a lot of people towards MTG Arena as well.

I do know that all my MTG play is now on Arena. (Yikes - is it really 31 years since I first played? Now been 5 years since I bought physical cards - and I have a substantial physical collection).

Cheers!

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Dire Bare said:

Paper Magic predatory? Nah. No more so than baseball cards.

Collectible, addicting . . . yeah.

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aiouh said:

People really underestimate how many people just straight up use it as a gambling proxy and how prevalent it is nowadays.

Even the most "wholesome" content creator in the MtG space has videos up where he opens boxes and sees if he can beat the secondary market. Its kinda troubling if you ask me.

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michaeljpastor said:

Crack is whack.

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aiouh said:

MTG Arena hogged all my MTG time because it is so convenient and fast to set up high octane competitive gameplay and decks.

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michaeljpastor said:

And Magic's entire business model isn't?

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