- In a Q1 2019 call to investors, Hasbro outlined the “meaningful contribution” it received from Magic: The Gathering esports initiatives thus far.
- Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner called the inaugural Magic: The Gathering Mythic Invitational a “tremendous event,” adding that franchise engagement continues to grow.
- Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast released a Magic: The Gathering inspired game, Valor’s Reach, in March and a presentation slide hints at MTG: Arena on mobile devices.
Toy and entertainment company Hasbro revealed its Q1 2019 earnings in a call to investors on Tuesday, discussing its esports strategy and projecting additional advertising spend to support them.
Hasbro reported a 24% revenue increase from the Entertainment, Licensing, and Digital segment, which includes Wizards of the Coast, creator of Magic: The Gathering as of the first quarter of 2019. The segment’s net revenue was $92M USD in Q1.
In December, Wizards of the Coast announced the Magic Pro League, a new esports league for the 25-year-old collectible card game, to be played using its recently-released digital product Magic Arena. The league features 32 top players and a prize pool increase to $10M for the game’s competitive scene.
“We’ll be further supporting the game with additional tournaments and marketing support as the year progresses.”
“We’re leveraging our expertise and brand portfolio to drive unique gaming experiences,” said Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s chairman and chief executive officer on the Q1 call. “This kicked off with great success at our premiere Magic: The Gathering Mythic Invitational at PAX East in March.”
Goldner said that he attended the event, calling it “tremendous.” The Mythic Invitational, sponsored by OMEN, offered a $1M prize pool and generated 1.9M hours watched over the course of seven days, according to TEO analytics, becoming one of the top 10 most-watched channels on Twitch.
Credit: Wizards of the Coast
Engagement with the franchise has grown on both digital and tabletop platforms, Gardner added.
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A digital version of the game, Magic: The Gathering Arena (MTG Arena), entered open beta in September and is “performing well,” Goldner assured investors. There have been 700M games played to date in the open beta, with the average player spending eight hours per week in the game, he said.
“We’ll be further supporting the game with additional tournaments and marketing support as the year progresses,” said Goldner.
“We’re leveraging our expertise and brand portfolio to drive unique gaming experiences.”
Hasbro is expanding the Magic: The Gathering franchise “to reach a broader audience,” Goldner added, through an “entirely new game designed for mobile.” The title, Valor’s Reach, was launched in Nordic test markets during the first quarter. Named after a combat stadium in Magic franchise lore, Valor’s Reach is a spin-off game in which players collect virtual cards and compete in duels.
Notably, one of Hasbro’s earnings presentation slides, titled, “Capital Priorities,” prominently displays a mobile phone with a screenshot of MTG Arena. Hasbro has not officially announced a mobile version of the game and did not immediately respond for comment.
