Magic The Gathering’s first-ever sci-fi set has been a smashing success, as Hasbro has announced it’s massively outperformed the previous winter release and become one of the top three best-selling sets of all time.
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty was released only a couple of 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 yet. In that time, it’s managed to sell more than the set released in the same slot the year before, the Viking-themed Kaldheim, which was the previous record-holder.
According to Hasbro’s Q1 2022 Financial Results, it was reported that Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty sold 28 per cent more than Kaldheim, securing its position as the fastest-selling winter set in history. More importantly, it is just the fifth set in Magic’s history to make more than $100 million in revenue and is among the top three best-selling sets of all time. The other two sets have not been announced, but according to a blog post by head designer Mark Rosewater last year, at least one of them is a set that launched last year. It is likely either Modern Horizons 2 or Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, which is Magic’s best-ever Summer set, and is repeatedly mentioned by Hasbro in these earning calls as a particularly successful product.
All in all, Magic’s revenue in the last quarter grew by seven per cent, contributing a significant part to the Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming segment of Hasbro’s overall nine per cent revenue increase, and its tabletop revenue 10 per cent increase. Magic is singled out alongside Monopoly as its two top-performing brands in the entirety of Hasbro, including well-known properties like Dungeons & Dragons, My Little Pony, and Transformers.
Unfortunately, that success hasn’t mitigated the cost of ongoing supply chain issues plaguing tabletop gaming for many months now. Wizards of the Coast president Cynthia Williams announced in the accompanying earnings call that Magic will be getting “its first price increase in quite a long while”. A blog post published by Wizards of the Coast immediately after the call confirmed Draft, Set, and Collector’s boosters for premier sets and Unfinity, as well as bundles and Jumpstart packs see an approximate 11 per cent price increase in July. Meanwhile, Commander preconstructed decks will be getting a price increase with Streets of New Capenna later this month but will not see another increase in July.
It’s a shame to see Hasbro celebrating constant record-breaking revenues from Magic, only to increase its cost. However, the prices haven’t changed in years despite the rising cost of production and transportation, and the price change won’t impact supplementary products like Modern Horizons, Secret Lair, or Challenger Decks. Pre-release packs will also not change price, potentially making them the most cost-effective way of getting draft packs going forward.