When I initially heard thatMagic: The Gatheringwas collaborating withFinal Fantasy, I was excited, but also a little confused. I could see why the crossover was beneficial forMagic, sinceFinal Fantasyis a hugely popular gaming franchise, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the two properties share some of their fanbase. However, the benefits for Square Enix didn’t seem as readily apparent to me, so I wasn’t sure why they were willing to licenseFinal Fantasy.
Now that there arepreviews forMTG’sFinal Fantasycards, I’m not only more excited about the collaboration, I think I finally get it. I’m assuming my reaction to the cards is exactly what Square Enix was hoping for. What I initially saw as a risk for theFinal Fantasybrand, specifically one aspect of it, I realize now is likely to be an overall success. I wouldn’t be surprised to see other popular brands follow suit if sales of this collaboration go well.
Final Fantasy Already Has A Card Game
The Final Fantasy Trading Card Game Is Still Releasing New Sets
The main source of my initial confusion about theFinal FantasyxMagic: The Gatheringcrossover came from the fact thatthere is already aFinal Fantasy Trading Card Game. This game is still being supported and even has two sets -Tears of the PlanetandGunslinger in the Abyss- coming out a few months before and after theMagiccollaboration’s release date in June. I didn’t get why Square Enix would risk cannibalizing the sales of its own card game, which is already not as popular asMagic: The Gathering.
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My suspicions that this could be a problem forFinal Fantasywere seemingly confirmed to me when I tried to check if theFFcard game was still alive after theMagic: The Gatheringpreviews. It may be because I play a lot ofMagic, but when I searched “Final Fantasycard game” on Google, some of the first links were topre-orders for theMagicset, and not the actualFinal Fantasycard game. However,I recently started to realize why this move still makes sense for Square Enix, even ifMagictakes some attention away from its own game.
MTG’s Final Fantasy Collab Got Me To Buy Some Final Fantasy Games
Excitement About The Collaboration Got Me Back Into Final Fantasy Games
TheFinal Fantasy Trading Card Gameis less of the brand’s backbone and more like an ancillary structure.Final Fantasyis first and foremost a video game franchise, and even if theMagiccrossover damages the card game, it will likely help prop up the main focus of theFinal Fantasybrand. Anecdotally, this strategy has already completely worked on me.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthrevived my interest in theFinal Fantasyseries quicker than Phoenix Down could have, so I was pretty excited about the upcoming collaboration. When the four face cards fromMagic’sFinal FantasyCommander deckswere previewed, I realized that I’d only played two of the four games represented on them. I enjoy finding out the story behindMagiccards to see how narrative elements are communicated through their mechanics, soI ended up buying theFinal Fantasy 6 Pixel Remake, and theFinal Fantasy 10/10-2 Remasterto catch up on the games I’d missed.
Partway through wondering whichFinal Fantasygame to check out next,I realized that I had (not unwillingly) fallen for Square Enix’s promotional strategy. I’m sure I’m not the onlyMagicplayer nostalgic for theFinal Fantasyseries, and I would be surprised if I was the only one playing the games in anticipation of the crossover. Realizing now what a good marketing strategy this was forFinal Fantasy, I’m curious to see what other brands that already have their own card games decide to collaborate withMagic.
Other IPs With Card Games Could Get Magic Collabs In The Future
Other IPs May Recognize This Relationship Is Mutually Beneficial
To start, I’ll say that I’m not expecting to see any collaborations betweenMagic: The Gatheringand another major card game. I highly doubt popular card games likePokémonorYu-Gi-Oh!would benefit as much from a crossover, since their card games are already a large part of their brands. However,I could easily see an IP likeStar Warsdoing aMagiccollaboration, despite the existence ofStar Wars Unlimited. After all, Disney is already working withMagicfor the multiple upcoming Marvel sets.
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There’s also the fact thatMagicplayers may be more likely to check out other TCGsthan someone who has never played one. I won’t pretend I’m not a little tempted to check out theFinal Fantasycards and see how they work. These types of collaborations may get players who aren’t into TCGs to start playing, and even check out the dedicated game for a given IP as well asMagic.
Magicseems to be going all-in on crossover sets, and it’s hard to blame it. TheLord of the Ringsset sold well, though part of that could be attributed to the One Ring lottery card that sold for two million dollars. Still, collaborations with popular IPs seem to be a hit, and if my reaction to theFinal Fantasyset is any indication, that benefit also extends to the property being licensed. It took me a while to come around to the new state ofMagic: The Gathering, but now I’m just excited to see what’s next.
