Honestly, it’s already a marvel that MTG Arena exists at all. The fact that both MTG Arena and Magic Online can keep up with Magic’s rules and interactions is outstanding. It’s a testament to the game’s developers that both these clients aren’t constantly riddled with game-breaking bugs.
Beyond just being functional, these clients are also continually getting better with updates. In particular, MTG Arena has a lot of major developments still planned for its future. Social features and multiplayer formats are all coming sooner or later. Sadly, it now seems the same can’t be said about the much-anticipated MTG Arena console release.
A Quiet Cancellation
Typically, Wizards of the Coast is fairly quiet about what’s going on with MTG Arena behind the scenes. Game and feature development can take a long time, with unexpected twists and turns, so saying too much can lead to disappointment. For this reason, Wizards of the Coast has been very reserved when talking about their plans for multiplayer.
Thankfully, while a lot of details are kept under wraps, Wizards of the Coast does often reveal plans, at the very least. This is how we’ve known that features like a console release and multiplayer were planned at all. Wizards wasn’t exactly shy about mentioning these features either, as Hasbro would often bring up plans.
Back in 2023, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks clearly stated that an MTG Arena console release was on the cards. Specifically targeting Xbox and PlayStation, this release was planned for “2024 and beyond.” Given that this time frame has passed, it seems implementing this feature is a little more difficult than expected.
As if this wasn’t worrying enough, it now seems that an MTG Arena console release has been scrapped entirely. Speaking to MTG Salvation executive producer for digital Magic, Chris Kiritz, revealed a disappointing new development. “As of now, there are no plans for a console version of Arena.”
While Kiritz went on to state that Steam Deck and Steam on Mac support are planned, this will be little comfort to console players. For years, it has felt like the MTG Arena console release was just a matter of time, but now we’ve got nothing. This might not be massively surprising, given current developments, but it’s still incredibly disappointing.
Not Entirely Surprising
Right now, the major new feature that the MTG Arena team is working on is multiplayer. This, however, is not a small feature, and it won’t be released anytime soon. Wizards have been very reserved when talking about this feature in the past, and that hasn’t changed today.
When speaking to MTG Salvation, Kiritz stated that this feature is still probably a few years out. “It’s definitely not this year. It’s probably not next year.” From this, we can maybe start looking forward to 2027 as a potential multiplayer release date, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. Given the amount of work that’s required, with new UI and backend work, there could be delays.
Before then, Wizards’ main priority is social features, which are rather lacking in MTG Arena at the moment. Reportedly, Wizards’ social system will be group-focused, allowing you to keep in touch with friends and like-minded players. Currently, these groups are being called ‘gatherings,’ which is adorably on brand.
Sadly, Kiritz didn’t confirm a release date for these planned social features; however, they are the groundwork for multiplayer. As such, we can expect to see these new social features implemented sooner rather than later, at least. We can only hope it won’t be too too long of a wait, as it would be nice to talk to other players, not just friends.
Hope for the Future
Unsurprisingly, MTG players weren’t too happy about the bad news quietly delivered in this interview. Thankfully, even if there are no current plans, it’s very unlikely that a console release is entirely off the table. As InfiniteDM comments, “It’s wild they’re ignoring a huge base,” so it’s unlikely they will for long.
Unless there truly aren’t enough potential console players to make it viable, it feels like an MTG Arena console release is inevitable. If it does happen, however, it won’t be until after both social features and Commander have been implemented. Sadly, this means we may be waiting until 2027 to hear more, and potentially even later for a full release.
Admittedly, even though a console release seems highly likely in the far future, Wizards hasn’t confirmed anything yet. As such, it’d be best not to get your hopes up too much in case it never ends up happening.
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