Hasbro Lawsuit Over Magic Card Overprints Voluntarily Dismissed

The lawsuit was originally filed this year.
mtg cards.jpg


A lawsuit claiming that Wizards of the Coast was harming its Magic: The Gathering brand by overprinting card was voluntarily dismissed last week, bringing this chapter of the lawsuit to an end. Earlier this year, Hasbro shareholders Joseph Crocono and Ultan McGlone filed a lawsuit against Hasbro and several of its executives claiming that Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks and others had made misleading comments about the printing strategy for Magic: The Gathering. The lawsuit claimed that the overprinting of Magic sets, which has increased exponentially in recent years, had weakened confidence of the brand and also resulted in a temporarily inflated stock price, influencing a stock buyback and ultimately resulting in a significant loss back in 2022.

One claim made in the lawsuit was that Wizards artificially overhyped the performance of its 30th anniversary set, which sold for $999. While Wizards claimed that the set sold out in an hour, the lawsuit claimed that leftover stock was dumped at a Texas landfill, reinforcing claims of misleading the public about its performance.

However, a year-end earnings report for Hasbro shows that Magic: The Gathering continues to be the primary revenue mover for Hasbro, accounting for a major part of Hasbro's 14% sales growth compared to 2024. Overall, Wizards of the Coast's revenue grew by 45% in 2025, largely due to Magic: The Gathering's performance.

As the lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed, it can be refiled at a later date. No reason was given for why the lawsuit was dismissed, nor has its plaintiffs commented on the dismissal.
 

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Christian Hoffer

Christian Hoffer

I’m not surprised it was dropped. US courts don’t like to second guess anyone when it comes to business decisions. Courts care about malfeasance, fraud, or other illegal activities but short of gross negligence you can run a business badly.
 

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MTG is in a weird and wild place right now. More sales than ever, possibly more players than ever, but after 30+ their product identity is diluted in unprecedented ways and their competitive scene is totally unrecognizable compared to 5 years ago. Clearly MTG isnt dead nor anything like that, but I fully understand the folks who say that it’s a totally different game now than it was even a decade ago.
 

Clearly MTG isnt dead nor anything like that, but I fully understand the folks who say that it’s a totally different game now than it was even a decade ago.

2016 is actually the turning point for me (Oath of the Gatewatch), it was only with F.I.R.E (who the hell designed Companion jesus christ....) that it passed the event horizon.

Actually, now I'm tilted lol
 

This was always stupid and doomed to fail, but it was at least entertaining. There is a whole genre of folk wisdom that has grown up among MtG players about how WotC is legally bound to ensure the collector value of their little pieces of trademarked cardboard, and Mark Rosewater will turn to dust if you trick him into saying the words "secondary market", etc.

Regardless of your opinions on MtG and how WotC has been running it (gods, I am so tired), it isn't illegal to run a business poorly, and a manufacturer of fantasy card games has no fiduciary obligation to people who confuse collectibles speculation with an investment portfolio.
 


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