‘Magic: The Gathering’ Head Designer Says No Slowdown To New Sets: “The Data Is Emphatically Saying What We’re Doing Is Working”
While many a Magic: The Gathering player have found themselves exhausted by the sheer rapidity with which the game continues to release new products, head designer Mark Rosewater says that the sentiment is far from universal, and as such Wizards of the Coast has no plans to scale back their current output.
When it comes to TCGs, it’s standard practice for a given game to to continually release new products, such as full sets, starter decks, or special expansions, in order to keep their game fresh and players ever-invested.
Usually, said releases are spaced months apart; One Piece averages about three months between sets and a year between Starter Decks collections (with one or two trickling out in the interim). Meanwhile, Pokémon drops a new set every two months, but keeps a similar annual schedule to its preconstructed Theme Decks.
By comparison, MTG puts the pedal to the floor with its releases.
Full sets are given barely (or often less than) two months to breathe, and though WotC drops starter decks at the same time as their respective main sets, an equivalence can be drawn with their timed Secret Lair Drops, a new entry of which is made available roughly every two weeks.
For a concrete example of this phenomena, look no further than the fact that the upcoming Marvel’s Spider-Man set was already being previewed weeks before the last, Edge of Eternities, had even officially released – and the same thing is currently happening with Marvel’s Spider-Man and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
An admittedly demanding calendar for active players, Rosewater was recently asked about the topic of MTG‘s output, with a fan reaching out to him via his personal Tumblr account to express just how lost he was getting with new releases, starting with Final Fantasy and Edge of Eternities:
“Are you guys hearing from players (at a level that concerns you at all) that it’s just too much? I love this game so much, and Avatar is a top-3 ‘property’ for me, but I can’t keep up with the release schedule. I barely felt like I had a handle on Tarkir, had to skip Final Fantasy because it came so fast, and haven’t managed to dip my toe into Edge of Eternities yet, ignored Spider-Man previews, and I’m already flooded with Avatar previews that I just feel overwhelmed with. For the first time in ~8 years, I feel that I may be done with this game because it’s just too much to keep up with.”
In turn, Rosewater offered a lengthy response explaining that, while he has heard such complaints from a number of MTG players, they did not align with WotC’s own internal metrics, which showed that despite their frequency, all of their products were regularly being eaten up like hot cakes:
“Yes, this is a sentiment I’ve heard from numerous players. Part of my job as Head Designer is to track all the new designs (although more mechanics than individual cards) of all the products we’re creating, so I’m well aware the scope of items we’re producing.
“The big question is how much is the right amount? Do too little and players get bored and leave the game. Do too much and the players get overwhelmed and leave the game. Where’s the sweet spot?
“To make things even trickier, each player will experience the volume of Magic in different ways. What’s too much for one player might be not enough for another, so figuring out the proper level is about understanding how Magic players, as a collective whole, are reacting to what we’re making.
“That’s why we use data. I love this blog, and do get great value from hearing what all of you think, and it very much shapes how I create new designs (especially when trying to gauge how the audience will react to new things we’ve never done before), but it’s anecdotal.
“The data we look at helps us answer questions like:
- How much are people playing the latest set?
- How much are people talking online about the latest set?
- How much are people purchasing the latest set?
- What are the general impressions of the latest set?
“The data is what guides how many products we make. Right now, a lot of people are playing Magic, more so than ever in the history of the game. Online conversation about Magic is also at an all-time high. I believe we are on the crux of Magic reaching a new level of public awareness.
“Sales are at an all-time high. We literally can’t print cards fast enough to meet demand. The general impression of sets has been great. As I talked about in my ‘State of Design‘ article, there’s only one set [Aetherdrift] in the last year that wasn’t perceived as a top tier set, and even that set still met sales expectations.
“The data is emphatically saying what we’re doing is working and that the Magic audience, again as a collective whole, is enjoying what we’re producing.
But far from just shutting down the fan, Rosewater concluded his post by not only acknowledging his frustrations, but also affirming their validity:
“But as I said above, Magic players impressions cover the gamut. Yes, there are players, like yourself, that are being overwhelmed by the current product schedule. I’m not trying to ignore that. I hear you. While this amount of products might be what the collective players are happiest with, it’s too much for you personally.
“The big challenge for me is what can I say that helps you? If something is working and the data says the majority of the players are happy with it, we’re going to stay the status quo, but I don’t want you to think I’m insensitive to how you’re feeling. One of the reasons I do this blog is I want to hear individual player’s impressions. I want to know what you all are thinking and feeling about decisions we’ve made. I get explaining the larger business reasoning comes across as cold.
“Let’s approach this from a different vantage point. Take something that you love about the game. I guarantee you there are players writing to me that strongly dislike it. That thing existing is a huge negative for them. But I know the data says that players, including you, really enjoy it, and it enhances Magic for you, so we keep doing it.
“I truly believe Magic is a source of good. It brings players happiness, it bonds people together, and it can act as an escape from a scary world. I want to do everything I can to make the game you want it to be. There are just millions of you, and I’m trying hard to do just that for each and every one of you.
“So, I’m truly sorry that you’re being overwhelmed. I take no offense of you picking and choosing what elements you want to focus on and ignoring the others. I’m a big believer that one of the best things about Magic is how each player can make it the game they want it to be.
“That said, I try to be as honest as I can on this blog. Individual players wanting things to be different won’t sway us to make changes if the majority of players don’t agree. Now, if that changes. If the majority start communicating that it’s too much, that we’re making too many products, or there’s too much in Standard, or whatever the issue is, we’ll change. We are adaptive to the needs of Magic players, but again, the collective whole, more so than any one individual.
“So, thank you for writing in. I hope this helps.”
