MTGA Arena Mobile has Been Delayed to 2021

Hasbro has announced, during it's Q3 2020 earnings call, that "MAGIC: THE GATHERING arena will launch on mobile in early 2021 as we fine-tune the game this year". Wizards has previously indicated that they wanted to release the mobile version of MTGA by the end of 2020. The MTGA mobile version would feature cross-platform play and players would be able to access their accounts and decks from both desktop and mobile platforms, similar to how Hearthstone does it.

MTGA desperately needs a mobile client despite players spending more time at home thanks to the pandemic. This is definitely not the first time that MTGA has delayed key features for the game (remember how long it took friend lists to roll out). But pushing out a mobile client will definitely give players more ways to play.

Other Interesting News from the Call

Magic has been doing very well for Hasbro in terms of revenue and it "delivered strong third quarter results and revenue was up double-digits for the first nine months of the year. The release of Double Masters and Zendikar Rising drove the year-over-year gains in the quarter, including growth in analog and digital play."

It's interesting to note that Double Masters and Zendikar Rising are both mentioned by set in the call. Double Masters likely was a boon for Wizards not only for the expensive Draft Boosters, but the VIP Boosters had high price tags while not costing Wizards much more to make. Zendikar Rising sales are likely being driven by the Zendikar Rising Expeditions that give the players a chance to pull an enemy fetchland. In addition, being available on MTGA allows players to try out the set on digital before buying them in paper.

MTG is definitely among one of the most profitable brands for Hasbro as they were mentioned by name during the quarterly results: "In the U.S. and Canada segment, revenues grew 9% behind growth in franchise brands led by MAGIC: THE GATHERING, emerging brands and Hasbro Gaming. Gaming supply was catching up to demand during the quarter....This gain was a result of revenue growth, favorable product mix, including growth in MAGIC: THE GATHERING and inventory cost management."