So last Wednesday was, like most Wednesdays if you’re a comic nerd, a day of pilgrimage to the local shop to pick up the latest and greatest story (or stories if your budget allows) from your favorite creative teams or featuring your favorite characters, etc. My publisher of choice is Marvel because apparently liking Magic wasn’t enough to make me a masochist when it comes to my story content.
Last Wednesday was also the only day of Battlebond Vorthos content we’re getting. It’s clear as day that the creative team has put together an incredibly robust world for Kylem, something that could easily drive content specifically about that world, and about life around Valor’s Reach.
It could even be designed with younger players in mind to help capture a larger demographic, something we in the business call “marketing” or “branding” or both because let’s be honest, no one really knows what they’re doing here but selling your content to children is usually a gold mine for selling merchandise.
But what do I know? It’s not like I spent tons of my parents’ hard-earned cash on Transformers toys in the 80s and 90s.
Magic is not a game, not anymore at least. Magic is a brand and that brand does not get enough love. Since last Wednesday was the first week of June I picked up the latest issue of Previews which is a look ahead at the next few months of content. It’s hard not to juxtapose Marvel’s upcoming slate of stories (Return of the Fantastic Four, Infinity War, wrapping up the new Avengers storyline) with that of Magic’s (Nicol Bolas vs. Ugin).
Basically, where’s the rest of the Magic story?
To be honest, I’m getting sick of writing about this topic but it keeps rearing its ugly head. I don’t even know who to blame but I hope that my cries eventually fall on the right ears to do something about it.
“But Rich, the novelizations were a failure. The comic books were a failure. This isn’t My Little Pony. The quality of the game is enough to sell product. No one cares about the story except Vorthoses.”
I’ve heard hundreds of excuses why Wizards of the Coast isn’t investing more into brand exposure through more content mediums and I’m not convinced by a single one of them. Here’s what I am convinced by: How other successful brands cram as much content into as much space as possible to leverage the story to sell their product.
The bottom line is that every year more games come out to rival Magic’s role as the driving force behind an industry. And every game that comes out is an opportunity for a stronger design studio to usurp the market from Magic.
I want more. I want more Magic novels about the war-torn wastes of Zendikar where the allied forces under General Tazri maintain a bitter peace with the Vampires, Kor, and Merfolk of that world. I want more Magic comic books about the ongoing adventures of characters like Tamiyo and Ashiok. I want more Magic animated series that feature the colorful and intriguing worlds of Kylem and Fiora.
I want more and I want it now and I don’t think I’m alone in demanding it. And if Wizards of the Coast doesn’t deliver soon, well, they better hope Marvel never figures out how to make a successful collectible card game to drag me away from Magic.
Rich Stein is a retired Magic player, an amateur content creator, and a Level 2 Social Justice Sorcerer. He hopes to eventually become a professional content creator and a Level 20 dual class Social Justice Sorcerer/Bard but he’s more than content to remain a retired Magic player. You can follow his musings on Twitter @RichStein13