Wizards of the Coast
Latest
‘Magic: The Gathering’ publisher Wizards of the Coast sent the Pinkertons after a leaker
Magic: The Gathering publisher Wizards of the Coast sent the Pinkertons to "recover" a set of cards a YouTuber obtained early.
Dungeons and Dragons owner Hasbro buys up D&D Beyond
Wizards of the Coast owner Hasbro is buying D&D Beyond, one of the most popular digital toolsets for playing Dungeons and Dragons.
'Dungeons & Dragons' game 'Dark Alliance' arrives on June 22nd
It marks the first time Wizards of the Coast is publishing a 'D&D' video game.
Wizards of the Coast teams with ex-BioWare devs on a sci-fi RPG
Magic: The Gathering creator Wizards of the Coast has shared new details about the video game studio it's building in Austin. The subsidiary is called Archetype Entertainment and its first project is a role-playing game set in a new sci-fi universe. Archetype says its as-of-yet-unnamed title "will send players on a story-driven epic where choices they make will have real consequences on how their story unfolds." You know, the standard stuff every new RPG studio promises.
Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo agree to disclose loot box odds
Loot boxes have been a source of controversy in recent years. They offer gamers a way to snag virtual items, but because the rewards are typically randomized and players can buy them with real money, they've been called as a form of gambling. Some jurisdictions have banned them completely, and others have looked into them. The games industry is attempting to soothe those concerns. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have agreed to disclose the odds of obtaining highly-sought-after gear inside loot boxes.
A 'Stranger Things' version of 'Dungeons and Dragons' arrives April 22nd (updated)
The third season of Stranger Things won't arrive until July, but you might be able to while away some of the time by checking out the Dungeons and Dragons adventure the gang plays in the first episode. Hasbro is releasing a D&D starter kit based on "Hunt for the Thessalhydra" on April 22nd.
Neverwinter: Elemental Evil bringing the Paladin, higher level cap
Elements are the "in" thing for 2015, especially in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. First we found out that DDO will be implementing the Temple of Elemental Evil this year, and now we've gotten word that Neverwinter's newest module will be called Elemental Evil (it's no coincidence; both titles have a relationship with Wizards of the Coast, who likes to do these tie-ins). This module will be a significant one when it comes early this year. Elemental Evil will add a new class to the game, the Paladin, and increase the level cap from 60 to 70. The increased level cap means more skills and quests for all eight classes. Cryptic also announced that future updates in 2015 for Neverwinter will include the player guild housing Strongholds system, the Xbox One launch, and the arrival of popular D&D characters. [Source: Cryptic press release]
DDO Update 24: Heart of Madness goes live tomorrow
Tomorrow, Dungeons and Dragons Online will be getting its last big patch of the year, Update 24: Heart of Madness. Considering the cheery title, one might expect scarring challenges and experiences that will drive your average player insane (including using yourself as a puzzle piece to get through a fiendish game). The crux of the patch centers around an invasion from the plane of madness to Eberron, with popular D&D figures like the Lord of Eyes, the Lord of Stone, and Yalthoon the Mindflayer. Players will tackle a trio of high-level madness-themed dungeons in this paid adventure pack, although there will also be a fourth free dungeon that's part of the ongoing Wizards of the Coast Tyranny of Dragons event. Update 24 will also come with cosmetic armor effects, smarter AI monster champions, and a revamp of Barbarian enhancements.
Magic 2015 now available on Steam, Xbox 360, Android, Kindle
Following last week's iPad debut, virtual collectible card game Magic 2015 - Duels of the Planeswalkers has now arrived on Steam, the Xbox 360, Amazon's Kindle Fire and Android devices. The 2015 installment of this annual series offers the typical sort of high-fantasy plotline fans have come to expect: "Magic 2015 - Duels of the Planeswalkers challenges players to 'Hunt Bigger Game' and confront the deadliest hunter in the Magic Multiverse – Garruk Wildspeaker," reads the game's official description. "Players must attempt to stop Garruk as he turns his instincts away from beasts of the wild to a new quarry - you, his fellow Planeswalker." More crucially, Magic 2015 is the first entry in the series to offer players a "full deck-building experience." Prior Magic games only allowed players to modify pre-built decks, a baffling design choice that removed one of the most crucial aspects of the series' card game inspiration. Whether this inclusion was inspired by the overwhelming success of Blizzard's similar, more fully-featured Hearthstone is unknown, but it's nice to see the virtual Magic franchise finally live up to its full, addictive potential. Both the Xbox 360 and Steam versions of Magic 2015 bear $10 price tags, while the Android and Kindle incarnations are free-to-play games supported by in-app purchases. [Image: Wizards of the Coast]
World of Warcraft's Rob Pardo designs Magic: the Gathering card
If you play Hearthstone, there's at least an average chance you've heard of, if not played, Magic: The Gathering. If so, then check out this card designed by none other than Rob Pardo, Chief Creative Officer at Blizzard Entertainment. I haven't played Magic in years and I was never very good, but that seems like one heck of a card. It'll be part of the Magic 2015 set, and was previewed at this year's E3. Now I want everyone at Blizzard to design a card. Let's see Samwise's card. At least get him to do the art on one. It's funny, because Xathrid here reminds me a bit of Lilian Voss, who some say is a reference to this M:tG character (Blizzard says no.) Which is too bad, because it would be hilarious if we ended up with some kind of circular back and forth transfer between M:tG and WoW.
Wizards of the Coast sues Cryptozoic over Hex TCG
After Cryptozoic stopped producing the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game -- and around the time Blizzard announced Hearthstone -- the company turned its attentions to its own digital card game, Hex: Shards of Fate. Hex wound up with $2.2 million in Kickstarter funding and is currently in alpha testing. But the game's success hasn't been missed by the biggest player in TCGs, and Wizards of the Coast has sued Cryptozoic for willfully infringing on its intellectual property -- which is to say Magic: The Gathering. Wizards accuses Cryptozoic of copying cards, plot, elements, circumstances, theme, mood, creatures, pace, play sequence, and flow from Magic. Hex is markedly similar to Magic -- though many trading card games draw their inspiration from that base -- and even the community has commented on it. In fact, the body of the lawsuit copies substantial material from a blog post on Threshold: The Hex Podcast comparing the two games as well as quoting forum posts in which commenters have noted the same. If this seems like a weak source of evidence to you, then you're in agreement with Cryptozoic, which has come out stating that the lawsuit is meritless and it intends to fight. If Wizards wins this round, we have to wonder what it means for other card games like our recent favorite Hearthstone.
HEX developers reject copyright infringement allegations
Last week, Wizards of the Coast filed a lawsuit accusing Cryptozoic, the studio behind upcoming MMOTCG HEX, of "willful infringement of intellectual property rights," among other patent and trademark infringement claims. Cryptozoic has responded this week with a statement rejecting what it's calling "frivolous" complaints: Although we take all pending litigation seriously, we do not find any merit to the allegations in the complaint. We do not expect this frivolous legal action to impact our efforts to deliver a compelling and entertaining game experience to our customers. HEX: Shards of Fate is a digital only MMO-TCG that attempts to innovate what a digital trading card game can be. Its digital only nature allows it to push the boundaries in ways a traditional paper TCG never could. As a small company, the daunting task of defending ourselves from the bullying of a much larger corporation is difficult, but we are committed to HEX: Shards of Fate and ultimately we will prevail. We respect intellectual property rights, but the right to make a TCG is not exclusive to WOTC. Many TCGs can, and do, coexist consistent with any IP rights WOTC might have. While IP rights are important, so is fair competition. WOTC cannot snuff out fair competition with frivolous infringement assertions. The original complaint is viewable online.
Neverwinter announces its fourth module, Tyranny of Dragons
Stupid dragons. They think they're so special, with their wings and their breath weapons and their intelligence and their hides like armor. Sure, maybe all of that is pretty special when you think about it, but that's not the point. While we can't be sure just yet, though, it's a fairly sure thing that the next Neverwinter module will indeed allow you to put some dragons in their place; after all, the next module is dubbed Tyranny of Dragons. Seems like it would involve some draconic influence there. Tyranny of Dragons is due for release on August 14th, 2014. Unfortunately, we have no further details at this time outside of the fact that it will include dragons and will tie into the overarching story of the same name moving through the Dungeons & Dragons product line. Regardless, you'll want to get your best dragon-slaying shoes on for late summer because it's high time you showed those dragons what you think of them. (They're not so big.) [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release]
Wizards of the Coast accuses MMOTCG HEX of copyright infringement
In a press release issued today, Wizards of the Coast announced that it has filed a lawsuit against Cryptozoic, the studio behind MMOTCG HEX, which is currently in closed beta. WotC alleges "willful infringement of intellectual property rights": May 14, 2014 (Renton, WA) – Today Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington against Cryptozoic Entertainment, LLC and its alter ego, Hex Entertainment, LLC (collectively, "Cryptozoic"), for willful infringement of intellectual property rights. Cryptozoic develops and publishes the digital trading card game, Hex: Shards of Fate, a clone of the world famous tabletop collectable trading card game, Magic: The Gathering®, and its digital expressions, Magic Online® and the Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers® franchise. "Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast vigorously protect our intellectual property. This infringement suit against Cryptozoic demonstrates that while we appreciate a robust and thriving trading card game industry, we will not permit the misappropriation of our intellectual property" said Barbara Finigan, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Hasbro. "We attempted to resolve this issue, but Cryptozoic was unwilling to settle the matter." The suit includes claims for copyright, patent and trade dress infringement. [Developing. With thanks to dddd for the tip!]
Magic 2015 deals in Xbox One, out in the summer
This summer, Magic 2015: Duels of the Planeswalkers brings the collectible card game series to Xbox One for the first time, but it looks like the game isn't coming to PlayStation platforms in the near future. Wizards of the Coast announced Magic 2015 for Xbox One, Xbox 360, Steam, iPad, Android and Kindle, with PS3 and PS4 conspicuously absent from the deck; previously editions have traditionally come to PS3 at launch. As for the summer due date, that's only specified for Xbox One, and Wizards of the Coast notes its releases may vary from platform to platform. Talking of decks, you'll be able to build customized ones in Magic 2015, and Wizards of the Coast promises "more robust" deck-building features to boot. Meanwhile, the story pits players as the prey of primal hunter and generally deadly dude Garruk Wildspeaker. Of course, we might be seeing Magic: The Gathering on bigger screens in the future, after 20th Century Fox's purchase of the series' screen rights earlier this year. We look forward to the inevitable video game based on the collectible card game based on the movie based on the collectible card game. [Image: Wizards of the Coast]
Fox to bring Magic: The Gathering to the silver screen
Magic: The Gathering is hoping to cast a spell on cinema-goers, after 20th Century Fox acquired screen rights to the Hasbro-owned card game. If your eyebrows aren't sufficiently raised, get this: According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film studio wants the 20-year-old series to become a mega-franchise like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Alrighty, then. Magic: The Gathering has been something of a gaming fixture in recent years, particularly through Stainless' Duels of the Planewalkers series. The Wizards of the Coasts card game has seen numerous adaptations into books, comics, and video games over the years, but if Fox makes good on those lofty ambitions, it'll be curious to see how it affects future video games; if there's one thing gaming is really lacking in, it's fantasy-based mega-franchises.
Magic: The Gathering - Tactics to be shut down March 28
Sony Online Entertainment will be shutting down the servers for online turn-based strategy game Magic: The Gathering - Tactics on March 28, 2014, according to an announcement made on the game's official forums. "Today we are announcing with our partner, Wizards of the Coast, that we will discontinue game services for Magic: The Gathering - Tactics on March 28, 2014," the initial post reads. "We are honored to have been a part of bringing you the magic of the Multiverse over the last few years. It has been a fun and memorable journey, and we thank you for all of your dedication and support." Unfortunately, if you wanted to experience the game before the hammer comes down and hadn't yet made an account, you're out of luck; new game accounts can no longer be created. Existing players' options will soon be restricted as well, as no new packs will be available to purchase in-game after November 18 of this year, and SOE will retain all code and data from Tactics, meaning no licensed or authorized emulators or fan servers. March 28, 2014 will see the end of Magic: The Gathering - Tactics. On that day, feel free to solemnly sing the following: Bye, bye, Mr. Minotaur Guy, tapped my blue land then my green land, soon my deck will be dry. Them good ol' boys was playin' dragons with Fly, singin' "This'll be the day Tactics diiiiies."
PSA: Magic 2014 expansion now available
Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers received its first expansion this morning. The list of features found in the expansion remains largely unchanged since it was first announced. Five new decks (totaling 280 unique cards) are being introduced, alongside six new Campaign levels and five new Challenge stages. New character portraits, achievements and trophies are also being added. Those interested in the expansion can now find it for $5 on Steam, the iOS and Android app stores, and both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Magic 2013, Rainbow Six: Vegas join Games With Gold next month
One is a virtual recreation of a card game that has been made obsolete by its recently-released sequel, and the other is a tactical shooter spin-off released in 2006. These dramatically different games, Magic 2013 - Duels of the Planeswalkers and Rainbow Six: Vegas, will be available for free to Xbox Live Gold subscribers this September as part of Microsoft's ongoing Games With Gold promotion. As Major Nelson points out, Magic 2013 is slated to appear on September 1. While the downloadable game normally features a $10 price tag, anyone with a valid Xbox Live Gold account will be able to grab Magic 2013 for free until September 15. Then on September 16, Rainbow Six: Vegas will join the Games With Gold lineup. Unlike Magic 2013, Rainbow Six: Vegas debuted as a retail game, but it too will be available gratis to any Xbox Live Gold subscribers until the end of September.
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.
