Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy Expansion Made $200 Million in Just One Day

Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy Universes Beyond enlargement was really, really, really popular. It was the fastest-selling enlargement successful Magic: The Gathering history, per Hasbro. Its Secret Lair collaboration drops sold retired successful grounds time, and portion stocks of the boosters, starter kits, and decks person improved, determination was a play determination wherever it was hard to get your hands connected thing Magic x Final Fantasy-related. The set's popularity adjacent pushed a clump of non-Final Fantasy cards to higher prices, conscionable due to the fact that of their fantabulous synergy with the set.

And connected apical of each that, it seemingly earned $200 cardinal successful a azygous time - the aforesaid magnitude that Magic's Lord of the Rings acceptable earned successful six months.

This is according to Hasbro successful its Q2 net call, which revealed the fig alongside a study that Magic: The Gathering gross grew 23% year-over-year successful ample portion acknowledgment to the Final Fantasy release. Per CEO Chris Cox, it brought successful much caller players successful stores implicit 2 weeks than immoderate different acceptable has successful 12 weeks. And successful the capitalist Q&A during the net call, Cox answered a question astir however Final Fantasy's request correlated to the company's expectations with the pursuing punctuation (courtesy of Investing.com's transcript):

In presumption of Final Fantasy and however it met expectations, I’ll springiness you a examination betwixt 2 of our biggest beingness astatine the onsets. Lord of the Rings took six months to present $200,000,000 of revenue.Final Fantasy took 1 day. And we near request connected the table. So we couldn’t nutrient enough. I deliberation we accrued accumulation runs connected it 4 times pre release. It was substantially, by many, galore precise precocious treble digit percentages, up of immoderate different accumulation tally we’ve ever done.And we near the marketplace wanting more. And our anticipation is there’s going to beryllium a bully agelong process of backlist for the product. Likewise, we’re inactive selling Lord of the Rings merchandise today. So, adjacent though we deed $200,000,000 successful December ’2 for Lord of the Rings, We sold a important percent of that successful the respective years following. We expect Final Fantasy to beryllium nary different.It’s partially what’s powering our backlist, which already successful 5 and a fractional months successful the twelvemonth did much than we’ve ever done successful immoderate twelvemonth prior. So, I deliberation that’s a small spot connected what our bullishness is connected Final Fantasy. What drove occurrence for it? I deliberation it’s a mates of things. I deliberation archetypal and foremost, it’s uncovering the close IPs that are large adjacencies to what Magic fans mightiness entreaty to oregon what Magic mightiness entreaty to different instrumentality base.Lord of the Rings was fantastic due to the fact that it’s benignant of the granddaddy of fantasy. It invented the genre, large books, large movies, large animation and games. Final Fantasy, I think, is astir arsenic beardown arsenic Lord of the Rings successful presumption of IP strength, if not stronger successful immoderate regions. I deliberation it has stronger transverse determination appeal, and it has astir apt much of a saccharine spot successful gaming than Lord of the Rings has, due to the fact that it was benignant of calved from gaming. So, I deliberation perchance the overlap of instrumentality bases was stronger than you mightiness person adjacent seen for thing similar Lord of the Rings.

In a follow-up question, Cox besides noted that helium feels "pretty good" astir aboriginal collaborations and first-party sets coming adjacent twelvemonth "in presumption of being Final Fantasy similar successful presumption of the types of players, the size of community, and the adjacencies we have."

That past remark bodes good for fans of the Final Fantasy set. We conscionable saw a Sonic: The Hedgehog Secret Lair crossover debut, and already cognize astir Spider-Man and Avatar: The Last Airbender themed sets successful September and November, respectively, truthful with occurrence similar this, much crossovers are apt to marque consciousness to the folks astatine Hasbro. In the meantime, astatine slightest this means Hasbro volition support the Final Fantasy cards stocked for a bully while, for those who haven't been capable to get their hands connected them yet.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. You tin find her posting connected BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].