Whilst Magic: The Gathering is best known as being one of the world’s favourite collectible card games, it seems that this fantasy title is enjoying a second lease of life. Far from being consigned to the history books in the 1990s, Magic: The Gathering has recently become a surprise hit in the world of esports. And with the further surprising news that it is going to be developed to become a MMORPG, it seems that this is a game that is here to stay.
Magic: The Gathering was first released back in the early 1990s and quickly became a word of mouth hit thanks to the fun way it allowed players to battle as wizards known as planeswalkers to engage their opponents with all manner of spells and creatures. With a heavy reliance upon the lore of Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering seemed to be perfectly made for gaming nerds, and the franchise has managed to clock up no less than 20 million players as of 2015.
Magic: The Gathering was bought by Hasbro for a staggering $325 million in 1999, but the real turning point occurred when the Magic Online game was released in 2002. This was followed up by a revamped version in 2008, and the title has steadily been growing into a real hit in the esports realm.
Whilst competitive gaming and esports betting sites such as this link have traditionally been dominated by battle arena titles like League of Legends and first-person shooters such as Counter Strike Offensive Global, the arrival of Magic: The Gathering is a surprising new feature on the scene.
2019 looks to be a massive year for the fantasy franchise. This is because there will be a new organised play structure that makes full use of the MTG Arena digital platform. With a huge prize pool of $10 million, it doubles the potential winnings of last year and will encourage a wave of players and sponsors to enter the fray.
All eyes will be on the Magic Pro League that will include 32 of the highest ranked Magic players from all over the globe. This will see the action focused on weekly contests on the MTG Arena and the action kicked off with a one-off $1 million MTF Arena Mythic Invitational in Boston at the end of March. Following this there will be a series of Mythic Championships that allow amateur gamers to play from home against the biggest pro gamers in the world.
If you manage to pick up enough ranked points in the Magic Pro League, you can get work your way up to a pro gaming level. The tabletop version of the game is still going strong however with high profile events taking place in London, Barcelona and Richmond later this year. But the biggest news is that Magic: The Gathering will soon be revamped as an MMORPG.
According to recent news reports, Cryptic Studios are aiming to remake Magic as a triple-A console and PC title. Whilst the release date is still unknown, as Cryptic have previously given us hits like Star Trek Online, it’s clear that this game could be a real success.
In the MMORPG version, you will get to be a planeswalker and travel between different dimensions, and the title is expected to go much more in depth in regards to the backstories of each of the game’s characters. Such a move could see the new Magic performing well alongside the likes of League of Legends that have already successfully created an entire universe around the battle arena title.
All of which shows how even a fairly nerdy and archaic game like Magic: The Gathering can successfully increase its shelf life by entering the esports realm. Whilst new titles like Apex Legends and Fortnite can get all the hype, it’s good to see how Magic: The Gathering can still deliver a few surprises.