Hasbro claims MTG Arena doesn’t represent the way most players engage with Magic.
If there’s one major drawback to Magic: The Gathering’s mobile game, MTG Arena, it’s that it confines players to 1v1 matches, leaving out the beloved Commander format that many fans adore. Hasbro’s CEO, Chris Cocks, acknowledged this during a recent earnings call, indicating that the company is actively working on new “digital iterations” of Magic.
Wizards of the Coast reported a 26% year-over-year revenue increase, reaching $582 million, largely thanks to Magic. If this trend continues, they could be on track to hit $2 billion by 2026. The first set of 2026, Lorwyn Eclipsed, has already made history as the best-selling first-party set, set within the Magic multiverse without relying on crossovers. However, Cocks noted that April’s Secrets of Strixhaven outperformed Lorwyn Eclipsed, and March’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles met or possibly exceeded sales expectations.
During the Q&A session, Cocks addressed the decline of Arena’s contribution to Magic’s overall revenue. When it launched in 2019, Arena accounted for 20-25% of Magic’s revenue, but that figure has now dropped to under 10%. Cocks explained that Arena was designed for a single format, Standard, which is a competitive one-on-one play style. Meanwhile, Magic’s growth has been fueled by the rising popularity of Commander and collectible products like Secret Lair and collector boosters.
Collector boosters are premium packs that guarantee rare cards, while Secret Lair offers reprints with exclusive art and occasional crossovers. Cocks hinted that future digital iterations of Magic will focus on these insights, emphasizing more Universes Beyond content, increased collectibility, tradability, and social multiplayer experiences.
Although Arena features a Brawl mode that mimics Commander by allowing players to build a 100-card deck around a legendary creature, it still restricts gameplay to 1v1. Traditional Commander is a more social experience, typically involving four players in a free-for-all. Arena has often felt somewhat isolating; while you can challenge friends, communication is limited to emotes and phrases, making it easy to annoy opponents with repetitive messages like “Your go.”
With the recent announcement of Marvel sets coming to Arena, Universes Beyond will have a significant presence in the digital game. However, assessing “collectibility” in Arena is complicated, as wildcards let players claim nearly any card. While there are various art variants available, they don’t quite match the exclusivity offered by Secret Lair.
Cocks’ comments suggest that Wizards of the Coast is working on a more social digital version of Commander, potentially allowing players to upload decklists and play remotely with friends through group chat. I’ve often envisioned a digital Magic experience where your card library mirrors your physical collection—buy a card digitally and receive a printed version, or scan physical cards from booster packs to add them to your digital library. The mention of “more tradability” is intriguing, especially since trading isn’t currently an option in Arena.
What would a digital Magic experience look like that truly embodies the essence of a “trading card game”? This is a question I’ve pondered for a long time, and if Cocks’ insights are any indication, we might see some exciting developments in the coming years.
