Magic: The Gathering Achieves Record $1.7 Billion in Card Sales

We might not see Harry Potter-themed Magic: The Gathering cards anytime soon, but Hasbro is still tapping into a variety of franchises to fuel its revenue machine. If you’re looking to dive into FromSoftware’s next title, you’ll need to grab a Switch 2. And is the next Metro game on the horizon for later this year?

Welcome to the latest edition of Morning Checkpoint, your daily dose of gaming news, rumors, and culture. What’s on your wishlist for a potential PlayStation State of Play leak? Personally, I’m hoping for an Armored Core 6 expansion or, even better, a brand-new standalone game.

Hasbro recently shared its earnings, revealing that Magic: The Gathering generated a whopping $1.7 billion in revenue in 2025, marking a 59 percent increase from the previous year. This surge is largely thanks to the fastest-selling set in its history: Final Fantasy Universes Beyond. Hasbro is sitting on a lucrative asset, even as some investors are suing the company for allegedly overprinting cards.

While MTG might be as ubiquitous as Timothée Chalamet, it’s currently delivering significant returns for Hasbro’s shareholders. With new sets based on Marvel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Star Trek on the way, the toy giant is already promising $1 billion in stock buybacks. Think of it as a strategic move to safeguard equity for future opportunities.

FromSoftware’s parent company, Kadokawa, also released its earnings this week, confirming that both Elden Ring and The Duskbloods are slated for the Switch 2 in 2026. While specific release dates are still under wraps, The Duskbloods will be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2, indicating no timed exclusivity or simultaneous launch on PC.

In other news, the once-mighty Embracer Group stirred up conversation with its recent investor remarks. “For the next financial year, we look forward to one long-awaited, major, in-house-developed and in-house-published title alongside a range of important mid-sized titles,” the company stated. This hints at 4A Games’ upcoming shooter in the Metro series. Embracer also owns Gunfire Games, which is developing Darksiders 4, but that seems to be further down the line.

Along with the updated roadmap, new maps, modes, and gear are set to roll out starting February 17. Will two new maps per season be enough to keep players engaged? That depends on their size, and it sounds like the larger maps are still a few months away.

Ubisoft’s worst-kept secret just had its art book pop up on Amazon. Initially rumored for a winter release, the game now appears to have been delayed following Ubisoft’s recent disappointing earnings report.

For every handful of live service missteps, there’s a solid new hit or two, and Arc Raiders is one of them. Publisher Nexon announced this week that the game has sold 14 million copies and peaked at nearly 1 million concurrent players across all platforms in January. Even months post-launch, it reportedly maintains 6 million weekly active users. Those are MMO-level numbers, which might explain why Embark Studios CEO Patrick Soderlund recently mentioned the need for more effectively utilized social hubs in the extraction shooter.