Over the weekend, Gen Con took place in Indianapolis, considered one of the largest tabletop gaming conventions in the US and, by extension, the world. It’s the venue where major industry innovations are showcased, important awards are presented, and surprising announcements are made. It’s also where significant games make their debut. That’s why Wizards of the Coast always reserves a space to unveil their upcoming offerings for the next year during Gen Con.
In fact, Wizards of the Coast had much more to reveal than just what’s coming for Magic: The Gathering in 2024. By showcasing sets all the way up to 2025, they’ve provided us with far more information than they typically do. However, let’s focus on what has caught the most attention with this development: their collaborations with other licenses.
Jurassic Park
In November, “The Lost Caves of Ixalan” will be released, a collection where we’ll delve into the interior of a hollow world inhabited by a lost civilization, as well as numerous dinosaurs. It’s no wonder they’ve decided to use the Jurassic Park license to add an extra layer of excitement to the mix. These cards will be specially created for the occasion and will appear in both collector and regular booster packs. Moreover, there will be two special Secret Lair drops dedicated to Jurassic Park on a date yet to be determined.
The Lord of the Rings: Tales from Middle-earth, Holiday Edition
The Lord of the Rings will make a return once again in November, this time with new cards featuring fresh mechanics, new scenes, and new treatments. While we don’t know much yet, we do know that one of the scene boxes — which include cards that form a complete illustration when placed together — will be “The Might of Galadriel.” Additionally, one of the new card treatments will adopt a concert poster style, breaking away from the more classic forms of the collection’s initial release.
Fallout
With a release date set for March 2024, one of the most post-apocalyptic collaborations in the history of Magic: The Gathering is on the horizon. The legendary video game franchise, Fallout, is making its way into the realm of Magic with four Commander decks, each representing a faction from the game. This follows a similar approach to what was done with the Warhammer 40K Commander decks. Designed to be played against each other in a multiplayer format, these decks are intended to attract a new audience to Magic through a tangential license that might pique their interest in the product, even if they weren’t sure how to get into it.
Asssassin’s Creed
Arguably, the most surprising collaboration comes with the renowned Ubisoft franchise. Set to release in July 2024, Assassin’s Creed marks the latest known collaboration for the game in the coming year. It’s also the most distinctive one. It will be the first collection presented in what they’ve termed “Beyond Boosters”: booster packs with fewer cards than usual, containing both original cards and reprints of old cards, all legal in the Modern format. This set is designed to offer a journey through the game’s universe, providing a way to experience the world of Assassin’s Creed without creating an entire collection around it.
Final Fantasy
The big one, the collection we were already aware of, is slated for 2025. Similar to “The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth” in its format, meaning we can expect a comprehensive collection with integration into Magic: The Gathering Arena, this set will encompass all the games in the franchise, from the first one to the most recent, Final Fantasy XVI as of the time of writing. This collaboration is poised to rival the popularity of “The Lord of the Rings,” which is already the second best-selling collection in the history of the game.
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