Magic The Gathering’s first-ever sci-fi set was a smash hit, as Hasbro announced it had far surpassed the previous winter release and become one of the top three best-selling sets of all weather.
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty was released only a few months ago and took us back to the Japanese-inspired world of Kamigawa and reimagined it as Magic’s most futuristic and technologically advanced setting to date. Meanwhile, it managed to outsell the set released in the same slot the year before, the Viking-themed Kaldheim, which was the previous record holder.
According to Hasbro’s first quarter 2022 financial results, it was reported that Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty sold 28% more than Kaldheim, securing its position as the best-selling winter game in history. More importantly, this is only the fifth set in Magic history to generate over $100 million in revenue and it is among the top three best-selling sets of all time. The other two sets haven’t been announced, but according to a blog post by lead designer Mark Rosewater last year, at least one of them is a set that launched last year. It’s probably Modern Horizons 2 or Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, which is Magic’s best summer set, and is repeatedly mentioned by Hasbro in these winning calls as a particularly successful product.
Overall, Magic revenue in the last quarter increased 7%, which contributed significantly to the Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming segment of Hasbro’s overall 9% revenue increase, and to a 10% increase in table revenue. Magic is singled out alongside Monopoly as its two most successful brands in all of Hasbro, including well-known properties like Dungeons & Dragons, My Little Pony, and Transformers.
Unfortunately, this success has not mitigated the cost of ongoing supply chain issues that have plagued tabletop games for many months now. Wizards of the Coast president Cynthia Williams announced in the accompanying earnings call that Magic would get “its first price increase in quite a while.” A blog post published by Wizards of the Coast immediately after the call confirmed that Draft, Set, and Collector boosters for Premier and Unfinity sets, as well as Bundles and Jumpstart packs are seeing a price increase of around 11%. in July. Meanwhile, prebuilt Commander decks will see a price increase with Streets of New Capenna later this month, but won’t see another increase in July.
It’s a shame to see Hasbro celebrate Magic’s consistent record revenue, only to raise its cost. However, prices haven’t changed in years despite rising production and shipping costs, and the price change won’t affect additional products like Modern Horizons, Secret Lair, or Challenger Decks. Pre-release packs will also not change in price, potentially making them the most cost-effective way to get draft packs in the future.
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