The Fallout Magic: the Gathering crossover collection is “probably” Magic’s most successful Commander set of all time, according to Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks.
The entertainment company’s head spoke about the success of its latest collaboration project during its Q1 2024 earnings call today (via Polygon). During a Q&A segment, he explained that, while the set was well-received, Commander sets can’t be compared 1-to-1 with premier sets.
“I would say Fallout has been a great set,” Cocks said. “I’m a little bit of a fanboy, so I’ll try not to preen a little bit too much – I’ve been playing it since the ‘90s – but it’s probably our best-performing Commander set ever, whether it’s a Universes Beyond set or not. However, Commander sets tend to be quite a bit smaller than our overall premier sets, so you have weight that accordingly.”
He continues, explaining that Magic: the Gathering is in a “pretty healthy” place as engagement reaches pre-pandemic levels. That’s thanks in part to Fallout as well as the recently released Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander set.
Commander sets don’t quite compare to premier sets, which include things like the franchise’s massively popular Lord of the Rings collaboration from last year. Magic crossovers fall under the company’s Universes Beyond banner and encompass past releases like the Stranger Things, Tomb Raider, Warhammer 40,000, and Evil Dead sets. Cocks is confident that future crossovers, including the upcoming Final Fantasy and Marvel sets, will reach the same heights Hasbro saw with Lord of the Rings.
“I think Final Fantasy and Marvel are going to be pretty significant sets,” Cocks said. “I would put them in the same league, at least, as what we saw with Lord of the Rings.”
He continued: “Marvel is just a huge IP. We’re going to be doing multiple sets with the Walt Disney Company on that, which we’re pretty excited about. Then, Final Fantasy, it’s huge inside of North America and Europe, but our sales in Japan will probably dwarf what we did with Lord of the Rings because of the resonance it has in that market.”
Hasbro’s Magic Fallout crossover transformed a treasure trove of wasteland creatures into collectible trading cards when the collaboration released early last month. Some notable inclusions saw the ever-loyal Dogmeat and New Vegas’ fierce ruler, Caesar, get their own cards, with other highlights referencing Mr. House, Feral Ghouls, Deathclaws, V.A.T.S., radiation, Nuka-Cola, and more.
The Fallout series has wormed its way into a few different mediums recently. While Magic introduced card versions of some iconic faces from the games, Bethesda brought the franchise to the world of TV with its Fallout show on Amazon Prime. We gave the spinoff series a 9/10 in our review, so be sure to check it out while we wait to see what’s next from the Bethesda post-apocalyptic universe.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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