Corporate entities are bound to make decisions at some point that can either please or displease the fan base. For Wizards of the Coast, however, their most recent decision may negatively impact a major market for Magic: The Gathering.
Let’s back up and do a recap for a moment. Last Friday, Wizards of the Coast announced that they are cutting back on the languages that they’ll be printing cards in moving forward. The two languages to be given the axe are Chinese (Simplified), and Portuguese.
Portuguese cards will no longer be available after the release of Modern Horizons 3, while Chinese cards will be dropped after Bloomburrow.
WoTC hinted in its announcement that they’re ceasing support for these two languages because sales in these markets are not sufficient to maintain their cost.
Brazilians are understandably disappointed at this new development, and they took to Reddit to air their grievances. One of these disgruntled players is user ThrowAwayInTheRain.
This user pointed out that most Brazilians cannot speak nor understand English, and this fact had him “isolated” when he first arrived in the country with no command of the Portuguese language.
Without cards printed in their native language, he explained, it will be more difficult for existing players to encourage new ones to join the community as there are no longer any means for them to comprehend the print on the cards.
It also doesn’t help that the rules for MTG have become increasingly complex, a fact that will further alienate many Brazilians from the hobby.
User AokiHagane agreed with this sentiment, explaining that Portuguese cards have become their de facto solution to onboarding a new player who otherwise cannot speak English but wants to experience Magic: The Gathering for himself.
He then described this new development as “one of the biggest hits to MTG in Brazil.”
Perhaps user Hravn16 summed players’ sentiments up by saying that the decision “will simply kill new player affiliation.”
On the flip side of the coin, many participants in the Reddit thread indicate that some Brazilian players who can speak English are likely to purchase their decks in that language.
However, even these Redditors recognize that the enforced lack of Portuguese cards in the country will force many existing players to quit MTG in favor of other competing franchises.
How this latest move by Wizards of the Coast affects sales from the Brazilian market, however, remains to be seen. One thing is for sure - we’d all be keeping an eye out for that investor’s report in the next quarter.