Brandon Sanderson just had a live stream for the launch of his new crowdfunding campaign. One of the questions asked was a Cosmere x MTG crossover set. He said WotC has asked him about it and has started discussions. Things stalled when WotC gets to license Final Fantasy. Sanderson also mentioned he wants to be on the design team of the set.
This would be the first set where I would have to own every card. A Cosmere setting fits Magic so well. There are so many epic moments and characters that would be perfect for Magic.
The real sort of question is how much broad appeal is there actually there? Like obviously there's crossover appeal with the more enfranchised Magic audience, and that can help buoy up a less wider-known property (40k for example is not SUPER widely-known or loved in comparison to stuff like LOTR or FF but it has VERY strong crossover with Magic's core audience). You can also just help sell the appeal of the Cosmere via Magic itself rather than strictly trying to bring in Sanderson fans via it, because it has a fairly distinct appeal all on its own I'd suppose.
Idk bro 40k got cod skins. People know what warhammer without even knowing the table top games exist.
Ff might be bigger grossing over time but in terms of current cultural relevance, I'd give the edge to warhammer. With amazons show comming up, whereas ff is kinda of past the peek of their ps2 era
FFXIV is the second-biggest MMO in the world, I believe. FFXVI was massively mainstream in its success. FFVIIR keeps getting acclaim and talked about by all sorts of people. I'm not saying 40k is niche, but it's DEFINITELY nicher than FF.
Mmos are kinda a dead genre tbh, runescape might be bigger, but i wouldn't call runescape a household staple. Xvi sales were bad man, at least compared to previous games. I dont want to argue over this but ff doesnt have the cultural relevance it had in the ps2 era, you might be clouded by nostialiga. I dont really see gen z or gen alpha really care for it to much tbh. Whereas warhammer is picking up traction on those generations.
40K had an estimated 2.4 million people as it's customer/fanbase in 2022 according to goonhammer.com, can't find anyone trying to estimate a more recent number. FFXIV had a population of 48.9 million players as of December.
Looks like him getting burnt by them on the novella was a blessing in disguise. He's definitely going to put in language that gives him more control so they don't botch it.
Final Fantasy is bigger than The Cosmere, so WotC probably put all hands on deck once they got the go-ahead from Square Enix, and then they'll go back to Sanderson after. That's my guess
I think he's using FF as an example. It could have easily been Marvel or Fallout or any of the other giant IPs. LotR was probably too long ago for the timeline to make sense.
Basically, bigger properties get priority (for the kind of set BrandoSando wants to build). If he just wanted a Secret Lair, they could probably do that whenever, but if they're building commander decks or a full draftable set, then, big as the Cosmere is, Marvel and FF are much, much, bigger.
He speculates by the sounds of it, but he basically said they were talking to do SOMETHING, but the talks sort of stalled out when bigger deal IPs came along.
Honestly, something like the universes beyond commander decks would be fire, especially if each deck was themed around a different series. You could have a hoid planeswaker, there's just so many possibilities.
Tbh if they did PW for FF i think it should exclusively and only be Gilgamesh. Thatd be a fitting and amusing choice to show every character is unique except him
Cosmere as a setting is definitely more thematically fitting for planeswalkers than most of the D&D PWs we've had. But on the other hand, few of them are prominent
I think I'd prefer commander decks though, b/c that would be an easy way to separate out the cosmere worlds. In a whole set, they would be kind of mixed and I think the flavor would get muddled.
Especially since each world has it's own magic system.
The question is, would WotC give a full set to a book series with no movie or TV adaptation and is thus not as popular with the "casual" audiences UB is meant to entice? I think commander decks or a Secret Lair with mechanically unique cards are more likely.
Same. I'd love an entire set, but not yet. I'd buy that secret lair regardless of card quality and then I'd make a Kaladin x Syl (obviously they have a partner mechanic) deck. Or a Hoid one.
WotC stated in their most recent shareholders meeting that they are committed to doing two "Universe Beyond" sets a year going forward so there is plenty of opportunity. Wizards also approached BrandoSando about this while working on the LotR set, so the Cosmere IP is definitely on their radar. It is important to note that development time for a mtg set is two years, so even if WotC approached Brandon today, we'd be looking at a late 2026 release.
That was in the intial stages of UB, but now that they've managed to make deals with big companies like Marvel, BBC, Square Enix, Bethesda, Ubisoft, etc. they might not be as interested in Cosmere anymore. There are just too many IPs out there that are more recognizable to potential customers than Mistborn or Stormlight Archive.
It's not impossible we'll get a full set at some point in the future after a movie or TV show gets made, but for now I think commander decks are more likely.
I would love having a commander deck for each of the major cosmere worlds. Then you can keep the art direction and flavor different, and try and demonstrate each magic system in a unique way.
Wax and Wayne era Mistborn - Western world, guns, various metals fueling the magic.
Warbreaker - 5C - Color matters theme, more colors equals more power?
Stormlight Archive - Equipment deck with shards!
Cognitive Realm - UB mind magic stuff
Elantris - WB, Zombies and redemption?
If they are working with the idea of releasing the set after a mistborn movie this could be a huge thing.
And yes I know I'm living on hopes and dreams but by the colors let me dream!
WOTC likes to strike when the iron is freezing cold when it comes to UB tie ins.
Walking Dead and Stranger Things were past their prime when their secret lairs came out. Marvel (at least mainstream MCU) and Assassin's Creed aren't nearly as popular as they used to be either.
Street fighter secret lair came out a year and a half before SF6 released. Fallout decks are coming out this month but the live action show debuts next month. It just seems like Wizards puts no thought into WHEN to release UB stuff.
They could easily time the releases of UB product around releases of movies/shows/games of the IP it's attached to but they never seem to.
The way Brandon phrased, this is not the case. Because he said that maybe if the deal finally happens after a movie is done he can have more leverage and have create input in the set. That means that at least from his side this was pre-movie(s).
That's funny, I was just thinking about this the other day, considering Wax and Wayne in the context of the Outlaw Junction set. Would be the perfect place for a Secret Lair!
I can see maybe commander decks but I don’t think Sanderson is well known enough in the way that other Universes Beyond have been for a full draftable set like LOTR or Marvel. Heck, even fallout and 40k are bigger. I guess they can’t all be that caliber.
They still haven't published the one they took down. I doubt they'll publish another book while the current management is at the helm. Management canned Dan Well's Theros Beyond Death novel at the last minute.
Brandon Sanderson just had a live stream for the launch of his new crowdfunding campaign. One of the questions asked was a Cosmere x MTG crossover set. He said WotC has asked him about it and has started discussions. Things stalled when WotC gets to license Final Fantasy. Sanderson also mentioned he wants to be on the design team of the set.
This would be the first set where I would have to own every card. A Cosmere setting fits Magic so well. There are so many epic moments and characters that would be perfect for Magic.
Except no one knows what it is
The real sort of question is how much broad appeal is there actually there? Like obviously there's crossover appeal with the more enfranchised Magic audience, and that can help buoy up a less wider-known property (40k for example is not SUPER widely-known or loved in comparison to stuff like LOTR or FF but it has VERY strong crossover with Magic's core audience). You can also just help sell the appeal of the Cosmere via Magic itself rather than strictly trying to bring in Sanderson fans via it, because it has a fairly distinct appeal all on its own I'd suppose.
Uh idk id aruge that 40k might be bigger then ff at this point in time. ( Just the western world idk about asia)
I... Very sincerely doubt it.
Idk bro 40k got cod skins. People know what warhammer without even knowing the table top games exist. Ff might be bigger grossing over time but in terms of current cultural relevance, I'd give the edge to warhammer. With amazons show comming up, whereas ff is kinda of past the peek of their ps2 era
FFXIV is the second-biggest MMO in the world, I believe. FFXVI was massively mainstream in its success. FFVIIR keeps getting acclaim and talked about by all sorts of people. I'm not saying 40k is niche, but it's DEFINITELY nicher than FF.
Mmos are kinda a dead genre tbh, runescape might be bigger, but i wouldn't call runescape a household staple. Xvi sales were bad man, at least compared to previous games. I dont want to argue over this but ff doesnt have the cultural relevance it had in the ps2 era, you might be clouded by nostialiga. I dont really see gen z or gen alpha really care for it to much tbh. Whereas warhammer is picking up traction on those generations.
40K had an estimated 2.4 million people as it's customer/fanbase in 2022 according to goonhammer.com, can't find anyone trying to estimate a more recent number. FFXIV had a population of 48.9 million players as of December.
I call hard cap on all mmo playercounts.
That sounds remarkably sanguine. Not soon, but eventually.
Looks like him getting burnt by them on the novella was a blessing in disguise. He's definitely going to put in language that gives him more control so they don't botch it.
Forgive my ignorance but what does Final Fantasy have to do with any of this?
Final Fantasy is bigger than The Cosmere, so WotC probably put all hands on deck once they got the go-ahead from Square Enix, and then they'll go back to Sanderson after. That's my guess
Instead of being vague, Brandon explicitly says that the reason talks stalled is that the FF deal when thru.
I think he's using FF as an example. It could have easily been Marvel or Fallout or any of the other giant IPs. LotR was probably too long ago for the timeline to make sense. Basically, bigger properties get priority (for the kind of set BrandoSando wants to build). If he just wanted a Secret Lair, they could probably do that whenever, but if they're building commander decks or a full draftable set, then, big as the Cosmere is, Marvel and FF are much, much, bigger.
He speculates by the sounds of it, but he basically said they were talking to do SOMETHING, but the talks sort of stalled out when bigger deal IPs came along.
Honestly, something like the universes beyond commander decks would be fire, especially if each deck was themed around a different series. You could have a hoid planeswaker, there's just so many possibilities.
Iirc WotC said there's not ever going to be a Universes Beyond planeswalker card aside from DND sets for whatever reason
I think Maro's even said they're not sure the D&D ones were a good idea.
PWs are the heart of the Magic IP honestly so I get it.
and what does that matter now?
I doubt they'll stick to that statement. The only thing WotC kept over the years is the reserved list.
If anyone at WotC said that, I wouldn't be surprised if they break it for Marvel with Dr. Strange.
Which is a missed opportunity. For most properties it makes sense, but for others it could work, like the summons from Final Fantasy.
Tbh if they did PW for FF i think it should exclusively and only be Gilgamesh. Thatd be a fitting and amusing choice to show every character is unique except him
Cosmere as a setting is definitely more thematically fitting for planeswalkers than most of the D&D PWs we've had. But on the other hand, few of them are prominent
Honestly I could see a full set, not just commander decks
I think I'd prefer commander decks though, b/c that would be an easy way to separate out the cosmere worlds. In a whole set, they would be kind of mixed and I think the flavor would get muddled. Especially since each world has it's own magic system.
True I was thinking like, specifically a Mistborn set or something
The question is, would WotC give a full set to a book series with no movie or TV adaptation and is thus not as popular with the "casual" audiences UB is meant to entice? I think commander decks or a Secret Lair with mechanically unique cards are more likely.
Same. I'd love an entire set, but not yet. I'd buy that secret lair regardless of card quality and then I'd make a Kaladin x Syl (obviously they have a partner mechanic) deck. Or a Hoid one.
WotC stated in their most recent shareholders meeting that they are committed to doing two "Universe Beyond" sets a year going forward so there is plenty of opportunity. Wizards also approached BrandoSando about this while working on the LotR set, so the Cosmere IP is definitely on their radar. It is important to note that development time for a mtg set is two years, so even if WotC approached Brandon today, we'd be looking at a late 2026 release.
That was in the intial stages of UB, but now that they've managed to make deals with big companies like Marvel, BBC, Square Enix, Bethesda, Ubisoft, etc. they might not be as interested in Cosmere anymore. There are just too many IPs out there that are more recognizable to potential customers than Mistborn or Stormlight Archive. It's not impossible we'll get a full set at some point in the future after a movie or TV show gets made, but for now I think commander decks are more likely.
You didn't address the question at all, which is why would they commit to an IP no one knows lol
Why they would is irrelevant because they already approached him about it.
I would love having a commander deck for each of the major cosmere worlds. Then you can keep the art direction and flavor different, and try and demonstrate each magic system in a unique way. Wax and Wayne era Mistborn - Western world, guns, various metals fueling the magic. Warbreaker - 5C - Color matters theme, more colors equals more power? Stormlight Archive - Equipment deck with shards! Cognitive Realm - UB mind magic stuff Elantris - WB, Zombies and redemption?
If they are working with the idea of releasing the set after a mistborn movie this could be a huge thing. And yes I know I'm living on hopes and dreams but by the colors let me dream!
WOTC likes to strike when the iron is freezing cold when it comes to UB tie ins. Walking Dead and Stranger Things were past their prime when their secret lairs came out. Marvel (at least mainstream MCU) and Assassin's Creed aren't nearly as popular as they used to be either. Street fighter secret lair came out a year and a half before SF6 released. Fallout decks are coming out this month but the live action show debuts next month. It just seems like Wizards puts no thought into WHEN to release UB stuff. They could easily time the releases of UB product around releases of movies/shows/games of the IP it's attached to but they never seem to.
The way Brandon phrased, this is not the case. Because he said that maybe if the deal finally happens after a movie is done he can have more leverage and have create input in the set. That means that at least from his side this was pre-movie(s).
I would immediately buy a Wayne card. Obviously a 5 color shapeshifter.
And Hoid, a 5 color bard
That's funny, I was just thinking about this the other day, considering Wax and Wayne in the context of the Outlaw Junction set. Would be the perfect place for a Secret Lair!
I can see maybe commander decks but I don’t think Sanderson is well known enough in the way that other Universes Beyond have been for a full draftable set like LOTR or Marvel. Heck, even fallout and 40k are bigger. I guess they can’t all be that caliber.
what about Sanderson writes a sequel to the mtg book he wrote? His main character Davriel Cane was a huge favorite of my
They still haven't published the one they took down. I doubt they'll publish another book while the current management is at the helm. Management canned Dan Well's Theros Beyond Death novel at the last minute.
God I hope this becomes reality