Magic The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering is a 30+ year old trading card game franchise operated by Wizards of the Coast (a Hasbro subsidiary), serving global players, tournament competitors, collectors, and digital gamers through physical cards, MTG Arena, Magic Online, and licensed entertainment IP crossovers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Magic The Gathering does
Magic: The Gathering is a 30+ year old trading card game franchise created in 1993 by Richard Garfield and operated by Wizards of the Coast LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), headquartered in Renton, Washington. The franchise serves a global community spanning casual players, competitive tournament participants, collectors, Commander/EDH players, and digital gamers across North America, Europe, and Asia. Its product ecosystem comprises physical card products (Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander Decks, Bundles, Jumpstart Boosters, Starter Kits, Scene Boxes, Draft Night kits, Prerelease Packs) sold through mass retail, specialty TCG channels, and the Wizards Play Network of local game stores; two digital platforms (MTG Arena for PC/Mac/Android/iOS on a free-to-play model and Magic Online operated by Daybreak Game Company on a subscription/event-fee basis); and a webcam play platform (SpellTable). The Universes Beyond program extends the brand into licensed entertainment IP through crossover sets with Marvel, Marvel's Spider-Man, Star Trek, The Hobbit, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The underlying content platform spans 25,000+ unique cards across formats including Standard, Commander, Modern, Pioneer, and Limited play, with proprietary special treatments (Foil-etched, Neon Ink, Showcase, Borderless, Extended Art, serialized headliners) functioning as product differentiation and collectible value drivers. The company maintains digital infrastructure across multiple platforms — MTG Arena (self-developed), Magic Online (third-party operated by Daybreak), SpellTable, and a Companion App — supported by an online card database (Gatherer) and official storefronts.
Revenue is generated across five streams: physical card product sales (unit-priced SKUs from $5.49 to $119.99), Secret Lair direct-to-consumer premium drops, MTG Arena freemium in-game purchases, Magic Online event fees and subscriptions, and licensing royalties from Universes Beyond partners. Go-to-market is hybrid: community-led through organized play (Friday Night Magic, MagicCon, Pro Tour, Magic Academy, Magic Club), direct-to-consumer via official website and Secret Lair, and channel partner-driven through Amazon, Walmart, GameStop, Best Buy, TCGplayer, and WPN local game stores. Customer segments include Casual and Social Players, Competitive Tournament Players, Collectors, Commander/EDH Players, and Digital/Casual Gamers, addressed through a hybrid segmentation approach.
Magic The Gathering firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Magic The Gathering
- Legal name
- Wizards of the Coast LLC
- Website
- https://magic.wizards.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Magic: The Gathering is a 30+ year old trading card game franchise operated by Wizards of the Coast (a Hasbro subsidiary), serving global players, tournament competitors, collectors, and digital gamers through physical cards, MTG Arena, Magic Online, and licensed entertainment IP crossovers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Magic The Gathering industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trading Card Games
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Collectible Card Games (CCG/TCG) Retail (CRALAGAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Non-Sports Trading Cards Retail (TCG/Entertainment) (CRALAGAB), Collectibles & Trading Cards Distribution (CRAOAMAC)
Keywords
Where Magic The Gathering is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Magic The Gathering business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Physical Trading Card Products: Revenue from selling physical trading card game products including Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander Decks, Bundles, Prerelease Packs, Starter Kits, Jumpstart Boosters, and specialty products. Products released in multiple waves per year with new sets.
- Secret Lair Drop Series: Direct-to-consumer premium product line featuring exclusive artwork, special treatments, and collaborative designs sold through the Secret Lair storefront.
- MTG Arena: Digital platform revenue through in-game purchases including card packs, cosmetics, battle passes, and mastery passes. Free-to-play model with optional paid content.
- Magic Online: Digital platform revenue through account management, event entry fees, and digital product purchases on the MTGO platform operated by Daybreak Games.
- Licensing Royalties: Revenue from licensing the Magic IP for Universes Beyond products featuring partner brands (Marvel, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, etc.) and related merchandise.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Play Booster - Draft and Sealed play experience |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Collector Booster - Premium collection shortcuts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bundle - Enhanced product with accessories |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Bundle - Premium gift product with Collector Booster |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Draft Night - Pre-release draft experience kit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Scene Box - Collectible display product |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Commander Decks - Ready-to-play multiplayer format |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Starter Kit - Beginner learning product |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels9 records
Marketing channels15 records
Magic The Gathering product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Magic: The Gathering is a strategic trading card game franchise that designs, publishes, and distributes physical trading card products (Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander Decks, Jumpstart Boosters, Bundles, Starter Kits, Draft Night kits, Prerelease Packs) and themed expansion sets, complemented by two digital gaming platforms (MTG Arena and Magic Online) and an online webcam tabletop platform (SpellTable). The franchise also operates the Secret Lair Drop Series premium direct-to-consumer product line and the Universes Beyond crossover program with licensed partner IPs.
Product overview
Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game ecosystem comprising physical card products and digital platforms. Physical products include Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander Decks, Jumpstart Boosters, Bundles, and Starter Kits available across themed sets like Strixhaven, Tarkir, and Edge of Eternities, plus Universes Beyond crossovers with Marvel, Star Trek, The Hobbit, and other franchises. The company operates two digital platforms: MTG Arena for PC/Mac/Android/iOS, and Magic Online (operated by Daybreak Games) for classic formats. SpellTable enables online tabletop play. The Universes Beyond program extends the brand through licensed crossovers including Marvel Super Heroes, Star Trek, The Hobbit, Marvel's Spider-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MTG Arena: Digital collectible card game platform available on desktop and mobile (PC, Mac, Android, iOS).
- Magic Online
- Secret Lair
- SpellTable
- Magic.gg
Products and services
- MTG Arena
- Magic Online (MTGO)
- SpellTable
- Play Boosters
- Collector Boosters
- Commander Decks
- Jumpstart Boosters
- Bundles
- Starter Kit
- Draft Night
- Prerelease Packs
- Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes Universes Beyond crossover set featuring Marvel Super Heroes and Villains as playable cards.
- Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek Universes Beyond crossover set featuring Star Trek crews, starships, and worlds with LCARS frame cards and Klingon Script cards.
- Magic: The Gathering | The Hobbit Universes Beyond crossover set featuring The Hobbit themes including Dwarvish language cards, Dragon Hoard frames, and approximately 500 serialized Gleaming Gold Smaug cards.
- Magic: The Gathering | Marvel's Spider-Man Universes Beyond crossover featuring Spider-Man themes and characters.
- Magic: The Gathering | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universes Beyond crossover featuring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters and themes.
- Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond crossover featuring Avatar: The Last Airbender themes and characters.
- Aetherdrift Multiversal racing set featuring 10 unique racing teams with two-color gameplay styles. Includes 500 serialized Aetherspark cards available exclusively in Collector Boosters.
- Tarkir: Dragonstorm Return to the iconic Tarkir plane featuring dragon/clan gameplay with five clans and powerful new dragons. Includes 500 serialized Mox Jasper cards in Collector Boosters.
- Edge of Eternities Space-fantasy set in the Sothera system featuring alien factions, artifact/robot mechanics, and Singularity foil treatments.
- Reality Fracture Multiverse set featuring Jace Beleren as 'The Theorist' creating the Echoverse, with echoed pairs showing characters in parallel realities. Includes 500 serialized Bloodline Recollector cards.
- Secrets of Strixhaven Return to the magical school Strixhaven featuring five colleges with themed mechanics and real-world academic themes.
- Secret Lair Drop Series Direct-to-consumer specialty product line featuring unique card treatments, exclusive artwork, and collaborative designs sold through the Secret Lair storefront.
- Companion App Mobile application to assist Magic players with events, deck building, and gameplay support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Commander is Magic's most popular format
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Magic The Gathering
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Magic The Gathering technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Magic The Gathering partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Middle-earth Enterprises (The Tolkien Estate)coreUniverses Beyond collaboration bringing The Hobbit themed Magic products featuring characters like Smaug the Magnificent, Gandalf, and Bilbo. Products include Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Bundles, Scene Boxes, and special treatments like Dwarvish Language cards, Dragon Hoard frames, and approximately 500 serialized Gleaming Gold Smaug headliner cards.
- Gen ConminorMagic: The Gathering featuring The Hobbit will appear at Gen Con from July 30-August 2, 2026, with early Prerelease events and special appearances by designers.
- Wizards Play Network (WPN) Local Game StorescoreGlobal network of local game stores that serve as retail outlets for Magic products and hosts organized play events including Friday Night Magic, Prerelease events, Store Championships, and Commander events.
- Marvel EntertainmentcoreUniverses Beyond collaboration bringing Marvel Super Heroes and Spider-Man themed Magic products to the market. Includes Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander Decks (We are the Borg, Landing Party, Klingon Fury, Federation Fleet), Draft Night, Bundle, and Collector's Edition products featuring iconic Marvel characters and themes.
- CBS Studios (Star Trek)coreUniverses Beyond collaboration bringing Star Trek themed Magic products featuring iconic crews, fleets, and armies. Includes Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander Decks themed around the Borg, Klingons, Federation, and landing parties, plus Scene Boxes depicting Kirk's Enterprise and Divergent Timeline stories.
- Nickelodeon (Avatar: The Last Airbender)coreUniverses Beyond collaboration bringing Avatar: The Last Airbender themed Magic products to the market, expanding the Universes Beyond program into animated series IP.
- Nickelodeon (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)coreUniverses Beyond collaboration bringing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themed Magic products, continuing the program's expansion into popular entertainment franchises.
- Daybreak Game CompanycoreDaybreak Games operates Magic Online (MTGO), the original digital platform for fans of Legacy, Modern, and other classic Magic formats. The platform is available on PC with system requirements specified for Windows 10/11.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Magic The Gathering competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Konami Digital Entertainment: Owner of Yu-Gi-Oh! and a broad gaming and entertainment portfolio. Comparable as an established publisher operating a flagship TCG alongside digital adaptations and competitive esports infrastructure, with similar product cadence and global distribution.
Emerging players
- Shadowverse: Evolve: Cygames' physical TCG based on its Shadowverse digital franchise. Comparable as a newer TCG combining digital-to-physical play with tournament infrastructure, though at a smaller scale and focused primarily in Asian markets.
- Cardfight!! Vanguard: Bushiroad's flagship TCG with anime tie-in and competitive circuit. Comparable as a booster-driven CCG targeting hobby and competitive players, but with significantly smaller North American player base than Magic.
- Digimon Card Game: Bandai's anime-licensed TCG with growing organized-play presence. Comparable as a booster-driven CCG with a tournament circuit and licensed-IP narrative, but smaller scale and narrower audience overlap with Magic.
Direct peers
- One Piece Card Game: Bandai Namco's anime-licensed TCG launched 2022, one of the fastest-growing TCGs. Comparable in booster-driven physical product model, organized tournament play, and licensed-IP-driven collector appeal, competing for hobby store and tournament-organizer mindshare.
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game: Konami's flagship TCG, one of the original "Big Three" TCGs alongside Magic and Pokémon. Directly comparable as a long-running, anime-driven CCG with competitive tournament circuits, booster products, and digital counterparts (Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, Duel Links).
- Disney Lorcana: Ravensburger's collectible card game built on Disney IP, launched 2023. Directly competes with Magic for hobby store shelf space, tournament organizers, and adult-collector dollars, using a simpler-onboarding design philosophy and major entertainment IP.
- Star Wars: Unlimited: Fantasy Flight Games / Asmodee's Star Wars-licensed TCG. Comparable in major-entertainment-IP-driven crossover model (similar mechanic to Universes Beyond), booster-based product structure, and organized tournament play competing for similar collector and competitive-player segments.
- Pokémon Trading Card Game: The Pokémon Company's flagship collectible card game and the largest TCG by global sales. Directly comparable to Magic in physical booster product model, tournament infrastructure, and collector/player dual-audience, but appeals more to younger and mass-market players.
- Flesh and Blood TCG: Legend Story Studios' hero-fantasy TCG founded by former Magic designers. Directly targets Magic's competitive tournament players with a more streamlined ruleset, competing for the same organized-play and high-end tournament infrastructure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Magic The Gathering social profiles
Digital presenceMagic The Gathering financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Magic The Gathering leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Magic The Gathering funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Magic The Gathering M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Magic The Gathering
What does Magic The Gathering do?
Magic: The Gathering is a strategic trading card game franchise that designs, publishes, and distributes physical trading card products (Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander Decks, Jumpstart Boosters, Bundles, Starter Kits, Draft Night kits, Prerelease Packs) and themed expansion sets, complemented by two digital gaming platforms (MTG Arena and Magic Online) and an online webcam tabletop platform (SpellTable). The franchise also operates the Secret Lair Drop Series premium direct-to-consumer product line and the Universes Beyond crossover program with licensed partner IPs.
Is Magic The Gathering a public or private company?
Magic The Gathering is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Magic The Gathering founded?
Magic The Gathering was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Magic The Gathering based?
Magic The Gathering is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Magic The Gathering make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Physical Trading Card Products are the primary driver. The others are secret Lair Drop Series, MTG Arena, magic Online and licensing Royalties.
Who are Magic The Gathering's main competitors?
Konami Digital Entertainment is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Shadowverse: Evolve, Cardfight!! Vanguard and Digimon Card Game. Direct peers are One Piece Card Game, Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, Disney Lorcana, Star Wars: Unlimited, Pokémon Trading Card Game and Flesh and Blood TCG.
Does Magic The Gathering have an API?
No public API is recorded for Magic The Gathering.
What industry is Magic The Gathering in?
Magic The Gathering's product category is Trading Card Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAGAC, Collectible Card Games (CCG/TCG) Retail, with a secondary code of CRALAGAB, Non-Sports Trading Cards Retail (TCG/Entertainment). Its NAICS code is 45912 and its SIC code is 5945.