Hasbro Teases New Digital Magic: The Gathering Projects Focused on Social Play and Collectibility
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Hasbro announced plans for new digital Magic: The Gathering experiences beyond MTG Arena, aiming to better support social multiplayer formats like Commander and expand digital collectibility and crossover content.
Hasbro is looking to expand Magic: The Gathering beyond the traditional confines of MTG Arena. During a recent earnings call reported by Polygon, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks acknowledged that Arena now accounts for less than 10 percent of the franchise's total revenue, a steep drop from its initial 20 to 25 percent share when it launched in 2019. Cocks pointed out that Arena was built primarily around competitive 1v1 formats like Standard, which no longer reflects how the majority of the community engages with the card game today. Instead, the real growth drivers have been social multiplayer experiences like Commander, alongside high-value physical collectibility through collector boosters and Secret Lair drops.
The massive success of recent releases, including the record-breaking Lorwyn Eclipsed and the crossover-heavy Secrets of Strixhaven, highlights player appetite for variety and unique digital ownership models. While Arena features a 1v1 approximation of Commander called Brawl, the platform has long felt structurally antisocial due to restricted communication tools like emotes and stickers. Traditional Commander relies entirely on a four-player, social free-for-all dynamic that digital adaptations have historically struggled to capture authentically.
Looking ahead, Hasbro plans to invest in new digital iterations of Magic both on and off the current Arena client. Cocks hinted that future projects will lean heavily into the insights powering the physical card game, promising more crossovers via Universes Beyond, stronger digital collectibility, and richer social multiplayer options. For a player base that treats the hobby as a primary social space, expanding digital ecosystems to support multiplayer formats could fundamentally change how players connect and trade online.
Source: Polygon
Tags: Magic: The Gathering, Hasbro, MTG Arena, Digital TCG, Gaming News
Original article: Polygon