Since its introduction, ‘commander’ quickly became the most popular way to play the game. In the ‘commander’ format, four players buy or make a deck that’s themed around a single card that they like, and take turns going around the table experimenting with different combinations of cards to help them win. Picture: Wizards of the CoastĪnother aspect of the brand’s success was moving away from a solely competitive format, with the introduction of the wildly successful ‘commander’ format allowing for more casual play among new players. Magic: The Gathering and comic publisher Marvel recently announced a collaboration in the game. “Like we’ve all just come off of a couple years of lockdown, and we’re able to go out and be with people … our game literally has ‘The Gathering’ in the name!”

“I think in today’s age, a game that gets people around the table playing with each other in person is just this incredible connective tissue, right?” Mr Verhey said. One factor he said contributed to the game’s new popularity was an extreme surge in profits after the Covid pandemic, with people emerging from their homes looking for ways to interact with people again. Mr Verhey has been working on the game since 2011, and spoke to about the reason for its continued success since its creation over three decades ago. “It’s this incredible game with a lot of variety.” “Imagine chess, (but) you get to bring all of your own pieces,” explained Gavin Verhey, a principal designer for the trading card game. With over 40 million players and $1.1 billion (A$1.7 billion) in annual revenue, Magic: The Gathering has cemented its reputation as one of the biggest card games of all time.Īnd with its push towards casual play, franchise crossovers and collector markets, it’s only set to get bigger.

Card games for two players at home