That Magic: The Gathering’s Universes Beyond initiative is controversial should be news to absolutely no one, at this point. From its inception, players have had their concerns, which have only multiplied as Universes Beyond products have grown in prominence. This week, ahead of Final Fantasy preview season kicking off on May 10th, Magic players reopened the Pandora’s Box that is the Universes Beyond debate.
In response to a player calling him and Wizards greedy and dishonest, MTG Head Designer Mark Rosewater mounted a passionate defense of Universes Beyond. This, in turn, ignited a wider discussion about the initiative and its long-term impact on the game of Magic. While the sales data certainly seems to suggest that Universes Beyond is now a done deal, things aren’t so cut and dry out in the community. There are pros and cons to be weighed and, as much as Wizards is doing its best to do so, some sections of the community are still feeling unheard.
“Why Should We Believe Anything That You Ever Say?”
“Why should we believe anything that you ever say in the future re: magic design and the path of the game moving forward? At the start of UB, we were told that it wouldn’t impact anything else that wizards was doing, and that we wouldn’t have to do anything with UB if we didn’t want to, but now half of all standard sets are UB…. The greed has changed you & wizards and it’s sad to see.
What are you & the company doing to stay honest to your customer base and why should we believe you?”
harrybalczak, via Blogatog
This was the post that really got things started again. We’ve seen variations on this sentiment regularly over the last few years, but rarely as brazen and straightforward as this. As aggressive as their tone is, harrybalczak does have some valid points. Rosewater, and by extension Wizards, did promise back in 2021 that Universes Beyond cards wouldn’t be Standard-legal.
Fast-forward to today, and that promise has been undone due to the financial success of the initiative. If promises made by Wizards only apply as long as there’s no profit in breaking them, it doesn’t create an atmosphere of player confidence. As sanguine-bond put it in the comments:
“While this asker is being unnecessarily aggressive about it. I find it hard to argue with their point. I think MaRo is a net positive overall, but I’ve stopped listening to anything he says about any plans for the future of MTG.”
sanguine-bond, via Blogatog
Though he undoubtedly receives many such messages, Rosewater chose to respond to this one in full. He presented a lengthy rebuttal and a solid defense of MTG Universes Beyond in the process.
“Any future prediction I make is based on the data I have at the time. I don’t know the future. […] What changed wasn’t Wizards “getting greedy”. It was us adapting to the feedback of the players. We’re making more Universes Beyond because the players, as a whole, really like Universes Beyond.”
Mark Rosewater, via Blogatog
This was only a small portion of Rosewater’s six-paragraph response. He also addressed concerns around his honesty and transparency, both of which harrybalczak called into question. He notes that the huge volume of content he produces gives more transparency than “any other game currently being published.” Rosewater also mentioned that his incorrect statements on things like Universes Beyond “isn’t me lying, that’s me being unable to predict the future.”
While Rosewater adds to Blogatog many times each day, generally, it’s rare to see an answer as long and multifaceted as this. Perhaps because of this, there’s been an outpouring of discussion on similar topics over the last few days. Not just on Blogatog, but on the MTG subreddits, too.
In Defense Of MTG Universes Beyond
Many of the comments in this ensuing discussion certainly bear out Rosewater’s points. Plenty of players were quick to share stories about how Universes Beyond got their friends into MTG. Many also jumped to its defense alongside Rosewater.
“I saw the majority of my play group get in to Magic because of UB including myself, we in turn have gotten other players in and all 7 of us are still playing and have spent money on at the last two years worth of sets.”
whith14, via Blogatog
Rosewater’s main point, as it has been for a while, is that Universes Beyond is being pursued so heavily simply because it sells so well. As a data point, this is pretty hard for any player to dispute. That doesn’t stop them from trying, of course, leading to responses like this:
“I don’t understand why people think it’s bad for Magic to go out of their way to make products that they believe will sell well. An entertainment business seeking to be profitable and generate high revenues and profits isn’t inherently greedy.”
HonorBasquiat, via r/MagicTCG
Perhaps because of harrybalczak’s aggressive tone, a lot more players in the comments seemed to be on Rosewater’s side this time around than usual. Multiple Blogatog posts in support quickly followed the original, for example. On top of that, the Reddit comments were unusually supportive for a change.
“Good read. I get the frustration some players have but I do think MaRo deserves a lot of appreciation and I am always glad to read his takes even if I don’t agree.”
KKilikk, via r/MagicTCG
There are multiple ways to interpret this trend. It could just be that Mark Rosewater has built up a lot of goodwill with fans, and players don’t like seeing him get dragged. Alternatively, it could mark a turning point in the overall Universes Beyond discourse. These conversations have been happening on and off since 2021. At this point, a turning of the tide over time isn’t too surprising.
Though a lot of players were skeptical at first, after hearing it enough, the idea that Universes Beyond is really popular may be settling in at last. It’s been hard for some established players to reconcile that with their personal dislike of the product. That so many players in the new wave of discourse seem to be dismissing arguments against this fact does indicate a shift.
Lingering Concerns
Of course, even with some more players converted, Universes Beyond is still a tough sell for many. A good number of follow-up posts to the original raise other concerns, reminding us all that this is very much still a contested area.
“Makarabelphegor: I respect your transparency, and its understandable if you make wrong predictions. But using sales data as a basis for said predictions is missing the problem. If a set breaks sales records, that’s great, but when the game jumps between IPs, those buyers won’t stick around. It doesn’t feel like WOTC is making UB with player retention in mind, and combined with other logistical issues, this line can’t go up without consequence. Does WOTC have a plan to keep the long-term health of Magic in check?
Mark Rosewater: Long-term health is very important to us. We want to be successful twenty years from now just as much as we are today. This is my thirtieth year working at Wizards and R&D has always been very thoughtful about how our decisions will affect future Magic.
Also, the vast majority of Universe Beyond purchasers are existing Magic players. We expect the buyers to stick around because they already have a track record of sticking around.”
Via: Blogatog
For a while now, Makarabelphegor’s argument above has been one of the most compelling anti-Universes Beyond points out there. Much more so than the old “it isn’t really as popular as Wizards is saying” angle, certainly. Sure, these products are selling well now, but there’s a strong possibility that they bring in players who enjoy the IP temporarily, then lose them right after. Magic IP sets don’t have that problem, since there’s a consistent thread for players to cling to.
With this new data, however, that argument effectively falls apart. If Universes Beyond is mainly resonating with existing players, then concerns about a ‘player bubble’ that bursts when the lucrative tie-ins stop are unfounded. This really is just a hugely popular new axis for Magic, by every conceivable metric.
Some valid concerns do still remain unaddressed. Players like Butchering_it on r/MagicTCG have raised concerns about long-term consumer loyalty, which is a bit trickier to evaluate at present. It’s certainly possible that a few years of jacked-up Universes Beyond releases erode some of the core Magic audience. Right now, however, the evidence points to the opposite coming to pass.
