Wizards of the Coast created Magic: The Gathering in 1993. Over the last 30 years, Wizards developed MTG into one of the largest TCGs of all time, with millions of fans all around the world. However, despite the game's explosive success, Wizards of the Coast has repeatedly come under fire for its shady business practices and poor decisions that make it clear Wizards, and its parent company Hasbro, have no respect for the playerbase.
This disdainful attitude culminated in WotC sending the Pinkertons to confiscate leaked MTG cards mistakenly sent to YouTuber oldschoolmtg. Wizards' choice to send the Pinkertons was seen by most MTG fans as a drastic overreach that soured their opinions on the company. To make things worse, in the days since, fans discovered this wasn't Wizards' first use of the notorious union-busting company. Combined with an entire year of bad decisions at odds with the community, and it's no surprise MTG players feel like Wizards takes them for granted.
MTG: The Pinkertons Are Only WotC's Latest Controversy
While the Pinkertons' raid of oldschoolmtg quickly became major news for Wizards and Magic: The Gathering, it's just one recent misstep of many. Last year saw Wizards releasing MTG's 30th Anniversary Edition bundle, a set of gold-bordered, non-legal cards from MTG's earliest sets. One box of just four card packs cost an outrageous $1,000. MTG's monetization has long been a problem for fans, and players saw the 30th Anniversary Edition as the icing on the cake.
It isn't just MTG garnering bad press for Wizards. The OGL controversy with Dungeons & Dragons, Wizards' other major brand, upset many fans even after the company rolled back on its egregious changes to D&D's game license. On top of this, the designers are doing very little to rebuild trust in their communities, and they keep on blundering with errors like printing the wrong art on Alayna Danner's Secret Lair which only adds to the backlash.
MTG: It's Time For WotC To Pick Up the Pieces
Wizards isn't going to stop being responsible for MTG any time soon, but after so many controversies, the designers won't be able to improve their image without some real effort to right their wrongs. MTG is still a monumentally popular game, and although recent story beats sorely disappointed fans, Wilds of Eldraine could be the chance for Wizards to turn a new page and get fans invested again. However, Wizards' poor practices won't be forgotten as easily as March of the Machine's underwhelming story.
Getting back on the players' side isn't going to be easy, but it hopefully won't be impossible. March of the Machine: Aftermath tells the story of the fallout of MTG's latest conflict, but it will forever be remembered for the leak and the Pinkertons' raid. For Wizards, moving past the controversy means taking active steps to address the issues facing MTG, including monetization, story and the way Wizards handles mistakes. It's a tall order to rebuild so much lost faith, and it remains to be seen just how Wizards will claw back the trust of the fans who made them so successful.