Thanks to the rise of Universes Beyond, it’s no secret that Magic: The Gathering has been doing well recently. Year after year, MTG has been smashing sales records thanks to fantastic releases and tons of new players starting out. Despite these successes, Wizards of the Coast has been remarkably slow to branch out and capitalize on MTG’s popularity.
Admittedly, there’s long been the Netflix show that’s been stuck in and out of development hell, but that’s still in limbo. The same is also true for a live-action MTG movie, which we haven’t heard about in a long while now. Beyond these projects, MTG has routinely struggled to break into the gaming sphere, although not for a lack of trying.
Despite multiple failed attempts, MTG players seemingly haven’t given up hope entirely. Requests for MTG video games are surprisingly common, and they’re seemingly getting hard to ignore. According to MTG’s Head Designer, Mark Rosewater, the demand from fans is well known.
A Return to Shandalar?
Midwestmtgjudge: “I want a return of a single-player computer/video console game, like the 1997 MicroProse game that first introduced us to Shandalar.”
Via: Blogatog
Mark Rosewater: “It’s a common request.”
For the uninitiated, as part of MicroProse’s 1997 “Magic: The Gathering” video game, there was a single-player campaign set on Shandalar. In this mode, which is now referred to as Shandalar, players traversed an isometric map and dungeons, battling enemies in duels to earn cards. This then allowed you to upgrade your deck so you could take on five major bosses.
While this game does show its age somewhat, over the years it’s become absolutely beloved by the Magic: The Gathering community. This game has even seen multiple fan-created updates, adding in new cards and allowing it to run on modern machinery. Thanks to the game’s devoted community, it’s even possible to play it in your desktop browser nowadays.
If you’ve got the time, and don’t mind some near-30-year-old jank, it’s well worth giving Shadalar a go yourself. It’s not perfect, by any means, but the fusion of roguelike and deckbuilding mechanics is a real treat. Add on the fact that you’re playing with classic MTG cards, and it’s easy to spend multiple hours playing.
Despite having a community that absolutely adores this game and its ever-evolving deckbuilding, Wizards has never graced us with a remaster or remake. Considering how much fun the original was, not to mention its devoted community, this feels like a crying shame. That said, judging by Rosewater’s recent statement, Wizards clearly knows what MTG players want.
A Mixed Market
Sadly, as much as MTG players might want it, Rosewater’s acknowledgement of demand here is hardly confirmation of a remake. As Reddit user AltDelete5045 put it, this feels like a “gentle ‘no way’ kind of answer,” rather than something that’s actually happening. Realistically, the work that’s required to build a game like this is monumental, so it’s not something easily thrown together.
On top of this, it’s worth remembering that Wizards of the Coast doesn’t have the best history with video games. While there is Baldur’s Gate 3, developed by Larian Studios, there have been plenty of tremendous flops, too. Both Magic: Legends and Magic: Spellslingers were cancelled soon after their launch, with Legends being lambasted by players.
With this in mind, alongside the wild development costs of making modern games, it’s no wonder Wizards has been hesitant. Realistically, demand from players is unlikely to change that, as even some guaranteed sales from fans won’t entirely recoup costs. That being said, as other MTG players pointed out, there’s a lot of love for card-based video games right now.
Between games like Inscryption and Slay the Spire 2, there’s clear demand for deck-building roguelike games. This is a vast genre, in fact, with recent titles like Shroom and Gloom and Vampire Crawlers getting rave reviews. While none of these really scratch the itch that Shandalar started, Wizards trying something new is hardly a death sentence.
Don’t Hold Out Hope
Ultimately, while Wizards could make another Shandalar game, or something similar, I don’t think they will. Not only are development costs a huge hurdle, even when Wizards is raking in money, but they’re in a disadvantageous position. Sure, MTG players would like to play an MTG video game, but games for existing franchises are often judged harshly.
Rather than just being a good deck-building video game, Wizards needs to make a good Magic: The Gathering game. While these two elements should really go hand in hand, it wouldn’t be a small undertaking by any means. Still, this would definitely be a fun concept, so it’s no wonder that players have been asking for it for so long.
Notably, while Rosewater’s statement doesn’t confirm or deny anything, Wizards could already be making a Shadalar follow-up. If something like this is in development, we’re unlikely to hear about it for a long while, so I wouldn’t hold your breath. Realistically, we’re unlikely to get anything major until four-player multiplayer is implemented on Arena, but we can only really wait and find out what happens.
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