Magic: the Gathering is the biggest Trading Card Game in the world, and anyone arguing against that statement is ill-informed. No other card game has thirty years of history, millions of players, a multitude of popular formats, and is still going as strong as ever.
For better or worse, Magic’s rate of pushing out products has been particularly aggressive lately. Compare the release schedules of recent years to just a few years ago, and it's startlingly obvious just how aggressive product releases have recently become.
Regardless of customer opinion on the increased rates of product releases, it has been only good for Wizards of the Coast. Between Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, as well as Universes Beyond products, there's no denying Magic's success. These fantastic successes have all come during Cynthia Williams’ time at Wizards of the Coast.
Despite these impressive achievements, after just two years at the company, Cynthia Williams is stepping down as President of Wizards of the Coast. This change is due to come into effect next week.
Disappointing Earnings
Wizards of the Coast is undeniably the darling child of Hasbro. Becoming a billion-dollar franchise, Magic: the Gathering is more successful than ever. Despite this, Williams’ stepping down may be related to Magic not doing as well as expected.
Notably, this announcement was released to the public just a week before the next Hasbro quarterly call. Despite Magic: the Gathering’s immense success, Wizards of the Coast has had a few disappointing quarters back-to-back. Could this be a sign that another one is on the horizon?
Notably, the main MTG sets from this earnings quarter were Murders at Karlov Manor and Ravnica Remastered. According to player commentary, both of these sets underperformed quite heavily in terms of sales.
Thanks to a list of controversies, including the infamous 30th Anniversary Edition packs, as well as the Pinkertons debacle, players may not miss Cynthia Williams after her departure. That said, the Universes Beyond product line has really changed Magic, and this happened under Williams’ watch.