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Netflix is working on a 'Magic: The Gathering' anime series
Netflix is working on the very first screen adaptation of Magic: The Gathering with an anime series it's developing. Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo will be executive producers on the project.
'Magic: The Gathering' esports league launches with $10 million in prizes
Magic: The Gathering, which counts over 35 million players worldwide, will get an esports league with a combined $10 million in prize money, Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) and Hasbro announced. The Magic Pro League (MPL) will cover both the tabletop games and Arena digital PC version (still in public beta) and count 32 of the world's top players.
Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers available now on iOS
I got to see Magic 2014 in action back in May of this year, but the game is now available both on the iOS App Store and on Steam for both Mac and PC. (Update: Turns out it's not available for the Mac. Last year's version wasn't either, unfortunately.) The biggest new feature of this year's go-round is the "sealed play" mode, which allows players to build a deck using cards from a set of sealed random booster packs. Usually in these games, you have to use one of the prebuilt decks, but the sealed play mode provides another option for experienced players (or anyone looking ot mix things up). Unfortunately, you only get a couple of deck slots to build in, and you can't reset them, so you have to buy more if you need them. Kind of a cheap move on Wizards of the Coast's part. There are also brand-new cards in this game, and in fact some of the cards are available to play here even before they arrive in the paper game later on this year. Magic 2014 is a free download on the iPad, and then you can buy the whole game (or separate decks) via in-app purchase for $9.99.
Magic 2014 coming soon with new campaign and cards, sealed deck play
For a long time, Wizards of the Coast would not release anything official on iOS, even though the biggest collectible card game -- Magic: The Gathering -- seemed perfect for Apple's touchscreen platforms. Then, last year, we finally got Magic 2013 on the iPad, and now Wizards of the Coast is preparing Magic 2014. When the update is released in about a month, it will offer lots of new features and content to the iPad and Android devices. That second platform may not matter much to us here at TUAW, but it's a sign that Wizards is continuing to rethink its mobile strategy. The company kindly showed us the latest version of Magic: The Gathering running on the iPad this week, and it's very impressive. It runs faster than ever, and while the campaign is similar (you undertake a series of single-player challenges, or can take on other players in multiplayer), Magic 2014 has a definite emphasis on story that the current version doesn't have. Magic 2014 was designed to attract new players, so the various missions serve as a tour of the game's lore and background, with each section culminating in a battle against a "Planeswalker," one of Magic's big heroes. In addition to the new campaign structure, there's also new content, including lots of new cards from the past year of Magic. There are even some new cards from the Magic 2014 Core Deck, which isn't set to release until after the iOS app has arrived. That means that playing with this game will be the first time some Magic players can officially sit down and play with the new cards. There will also be more of a newer card type called slivers, so even if you've played Magic 2013 completely, the new version should offer up some more twists and turns. One of the biggest problems fans have had with these Magic: The Gathering video games is that in the single-player campaign, you don't get to build your own decks. Rather, you get to unlock cards for a certain deck. While there is some choice in which cards you use, all of the cards are basically tied to specific decks, so building a custom deck is out. Wizards is aware of this concern, and has an answer in Magic 2014. Sort of. The game will introduce a new mode called Sealed Deck play, where players will get six booster packs, featuring random cards from a larger pool, and will then be allowed to build their own deck from those opened cards. It's not complete freedom, because you only get a certain number of booster packs to choose from, and you'll need to make decks from those. But it does allow for a very structured bit of deck-building, and Magic 2014 contains a whole campaign and a PvP option centered just around using these sealed decks. On the game's initial purchase, you can create two total decks in this way, and then you can buy more slots for these built decks via in-app purchase. If you want to play with a sealed deck, but don't know how to build a Magic deck, the game offers an "autobuild" option. There are plenty of tutorials and difficulty options, so no matter what your level of Magic experience, 2014 has plenty to offer. The biggest drawback might be that while there are lots of new options and content, the game itself hasn't changed. Stainless Games is the company that makes both the console and the iOS versions, and as a result, both versions use the same pacing, same graphics and same gameplay. There's no iOS-specific touchscreen moves or fun tablet-specific tricks or graphics. But that's fine. The point of this is to play Magic, and Wizards and Stainless both deserve a lot of credit for producing such a well-made game. Magic 2014 should be available on the iPad in the next few months or so. We'll keep an eye out for it, and let you know when it's finally arrived.
Magic 2013 brings (the Xbox version of) Magic to the iPad
The iPad is ideal for card games -- its size and wonderfully inviting touch screen makes it excellent for representing physical cards on a digital device. That's why, back when the iPad was first introduced, one of the most popular apps was a simple deck of cards, a virtual set of graphics that you could move and slide around the screen as needed. Traditional card games have always been well-represented on the iPad, and collectible card games really shine. As the iPad has matured, we've seen more and more virtual card games arrive, from Hothead's popular Kard Combat to enjoyable titles like Ascension and Shadow Era. For the longest time, however, Wizards of the Coast has declined to bring its monstrously popular collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering, to iOS. There have been popular versions of Magic on both PC (and even in the browser) and on game consoles, but up until this summer, there was no official way to play Magic on iOS. Fans had even released makeshift versions of the title on the App Store at times, all of them crushed by Wizards of the Coast's legal threats. Finally, about a month ago, we got what we'd been waiting for. Magic 2013 is an official version of Magic, the full game playable on the iPad's gorgeous screen, with all of the modern game rules and strategies (mostly) intact. But is this the version we've been waiting for, or is it yet another stopgap to let Wizards exploit the brand on iOS without actually pulling players away from its core physical card game? In short, this is the game you've been looking for if you're a Magic fan. It's as close as you'll get to playing real Magic almost anywhere, and it's plenty effective at imitating the real thing. The biggest drawback of Magic 2013 is that it's basically a port of the popular Duels of the Planeswalkers console series rather than an all-new iOS version, so all of the complaints about that series (that you can't truly build your own decks, and that most of the content is buried in a segmented campaign) are still mostly valid here. But otherwise, this is Magic, and all of the features that you'd hope to find in an official Magic game, including multiplayer online play, unlockable cards, Two-Headed Giant and custom game modes, and any other little extras, are all here for the taking. The base game is free and that is just a tester version. It offers just five levels, and doesn't include any of the larger features or card unlocks. A very reasonable US$9.99 unlocks everything else. While you can buy other cards or packs, the single $9.99 charge will get you most of the Magic you want: A full 30-match campaign, 10 decks to choose from and multiple opponents, including that online mode. There's no problem with content here at all. The digital game obviously isn't as flexible as the offline game (where you can put together your own strategies or play any number of custom rules), but given that Wizard definitely doesn't want to stop selling physical cards, all of the limits here are completely understandable. The biggest issue with Magic 2013 isn't in what it has, but in what it doesn't, and that's an iPad-specific interface. Again, the interface is lifted straight from the console version, which itself was originally designed to work with an Xbox 360 controller. As a result, Magic's digital cards just don't feel as real as they should. You do swipe cards up to play them, but tapping to attack simply moves them into position, and cards tap themselves rather than having you push them to the side. It's mostly an aesthetic argument, but still -- the iPad's screen is so well designed for tactile interaction that it's disappointing the developers didn't take more advantage of it. Wizards is probably leery of investing too much in a brand new version of the game, so hopefully later versions will have a more touchscreen-specific interface. The other issue with porting over from the console version is that games tend to run a little slow. The game moves through each phase with plenty of time for either opponent to jump in and cast spells or play cards, and all of that waiting seems less workable on the iPad's closeup screen. Again, this is the fault of the way the game was designed (and, to a lesser extent, the way Magic works in general), but I can't help but think that if the game was remade completely for the iPad, it would run just a little smoother than it currently does. Once you figure why everything moves as slowly as it does, however (and you'll have no problem doing that if you're an expert Magic player already), there's not a lot of other issues. The cards are clear, colorful and easy to read, and matches work just as they do in real life. The game's graphics are actually a little flashy for Magic, I thought, but they're also well-designed, and the music is pretty good as well. I don't know if this is the ideal version of Magic. Personally, I will probably tend towards playing the game on the Xbox, since that's where this version started and that's what I'm most used to. But we do finally have Magic: The Gathering on the iPad, and it runs as well as you'd want an official Magic app to run, with all of the boxes checked that you'd need. Hopefully, when the next version of the game comes around (Wizards has been releasing both new digital and physical versions on a somewhat annual basis), iOS will get a copy of the game that's been designed just for the excellent touchscreen it's rendered on.
Daily iPad App: Magic 2013 finally brings Magic to iOS
Magic 2013 arrived on the App Store recently, and it was a long time coming. It's the first real version of Magic: The Gathering that we've seen since Apple's platform was first created. The iPad's touchscreen seems like a no-brainer for collectible card games, and there have been quite a few of them out there already. But we haven't had a real, official Magic: The Gathering app until now, which means Magic 2013 is the first app that actually lets you play the official game that's been so popular for years and years. Unfortunately, Wizards of the Coast has had to make some concessions, and those shortcuts are problematic. First of all, this game is actually modeled off of (and created by the same team as) the Xbox Live version of the game, which means it isn't a "pure" version of Magic (where you can create your own decks at will). Instead, it's sort of a "sampler" version, with a bunch of different decks to play with and only slightly customize, rather than free access to the collectible cards. The other issue is that because this version is based on a controller-driven game, it's not nearly as tactile as you'd imagine Magic on the iPad to be. That's a shame -- instead of designing a different version of Magic just for the iPad, Wizards essentially ported the (already popular) Xbox Live version. Not being able to do things like interact with the cards in a realistic way is a bummer. There are obvious reasons for all of this. Wizards certainly doesn't want to cannibalize sales of the actual cards, and the Xbox Live version is already a proven success (not to mention relatively cheaper to port over than to create a whole new game). Magic 2013 is an excellent title if you like Magic. It definitely allows you to play cards, make moves, and play out the full game, against the AI or other players. It's just too bad we didn't get something a little more suited to this platform, instead of a copy of Xbox Live's big title. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Magic 2013 now (finally!) available on the iPad
The wait is over: Wizards of the Coast has finally brought an official, real version of Magic: The Gathering over to the iPad. Magic 2013 is now available on the App Store, and while there have been plenty of Magic-style card games before, and even an official Magic tracking app from Wizards, this is the first time that we've been able to actually play the real Magic game with official cards and everything. This version of the game is modeled after the very popular XBLA Duels of the Plainswalkers titles (and in fact, there's a new one of those out today as well), so it doesn't offer full control over your decks. Instead, cards are divided up into decks for you, so you can only customize your decks inside of the offered options. But that's not a huge problem: This is still full-on Magic play, with a single player campaign, three decks, and the option to play Plainchase mode for free, and then lots more via in-app purchase, including more decks, challenge modes, Two-Headed Giant and custom game modes, and even, yes, online multiplayer. It's been a long time coming, but we finally have a nice full version of Magic: The Gathering on iOS. Magic 2013 is a free download, and additional functionality can be purchased inside the app. If you're a Magic player, you've probably already headed to iTunes to grab it.
Unofficial Dominion on iOS now, official version later
I'm a big fan of Ascension, the iOS app that replicates the real-life deck-building card game of the same name. But when it comes to more self-contained deck-building card games where you build a deck as you play, as opposed to collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering, there's really one big name out there, and it's Donald X. Vaccarino's game Dominion. It's a great game that like Magic: The Gathering has been begging for a solid iPad/iOS port ever since Apple's platform first took off. That hope is coming true in more ways than one. There's already a version of Dominion available on iOS for US$1.99, but apparently it's unofficial yet (temporarily) approved. It may be strange to see a paid app that's unofficial and actually uses the art and IP of the game, but apparently Rio Grande is cool with that, because it has an official version coming out as soon as "a few weeks" from now. It's granted temporary licenses to developers to release their own versions of the game as long as those versions are down and gone by the time the official release arrives. Personally I'll probably wait for the official version, especially since it sounds like the wait isn't that long. But it's good to hear that one of the best card games around is coming in virtual form to Apple's tablet. As for Magic: The Gathering? Wizards of the Coast, the ball's in your court. Wizards has said it's releasing a reference app for Magic on iOS, but there are still no plans for an official version of the game itself. Meanwhile, Kard Combat is it.
