Summer Game Fest was the place to find all the latest and greatest video games, but not every booth at Play Days was dedicated to a console or PC. Downstairs in a corner booth, butting up against the cacophonous craziness of the Crash Team Rumble demos, was Wizards Of The Coast and its flagship tabletop card game Magic: The Gathering.
MTG is about to launch a landmark expansion in Lord Of The Rings: Tales Of Middle-earth, the first-ever full-size expansion to occupy a universe that isn't within the MTG lore WOTC has been building for years. The extra universal appeal, coupled with the opportunity to be the only non-video game at a major video game event, led to opportunity, and anyone interested could shuffle up and play with the LOTR Starter Kit.
For more information on this partnership, we spoke to Patrick Jarrett, social media marketing manager for Wizards of the Coast, about MTG being the only tabletop game at the event. We talked about the overall interest in Magic at SGF – both leading up to and during the event – as well as the reaction to the new cards from those who did visit the booth.
(This interview was conducted via email and edited for clarity.)
Was there a lot of interest in MTG leading up to the event, or did you find that interest piqued with walk-ups?
There was tremendous interest prior to Summer Game Fest. This was an opportunity for reporters to sit down, actually touch and play with the cards, and talk with us about this set. In addition, we had many people walk up, chat with us, and, sometimes, sit down and play. It was a wonderful experience.
What was the general reaction of those who visited your booth?
Their reaction came in waves. First, they were taken in by the art on the cards. Then, when they started playing or learning to play, they became immersed in the characters and stories they were telling during their games. It was extremely fun to hear the conversations and how people would describe their gameplay.
Would you say you had a turnout that was better, worse, or at what you expected?
Since this was our first time at Summer Game Fest and we were the only non-video game present, our expectations were reserved. The turnout and interest in our game was nonstop, and, anecdotally, people talked about their experiences throughout the show.
The only change we would have made was pinning down all the cards during setup. By being located near an open door, the wind made it challenging by blowing away the occasional card. Good thing life counters were heavy enough to stop that from happening.
Would you say those who visited your booth were there more for MTG, more for LOTR, or a healthy mixture?
That’s a tough question. Overall, I would say it was a mix. Because we were using Starter Sets and doing a lot of teaching of the game, those people were likely interested in Magic first, then absorbed LOTR as the game progressed. Some people just stopped by to look at the cards and admire the LOTR artwork. Others were current or recently lapsed players who wanted to see what was next for MTG.
What lessons (if any) did you take from SGF that you could apply to future MagicCons?
None spring to mind because of the nature of each event. SGF was such an intimate experience, where MagicCon is a much larger extravaganza.
Being the only non-video game at Summer Game Fest is quite a feat. Would you come back if interested?
Geoff Keighley and the team at iam8bit have made Summer Game Fest into an event where games come first – regardless if they are video games or tabletop games. As we're celebrating 30 years of Magic this year, it absolutely made sense for us to be here and talk about our partnership with The Lord of the Rings and Middle-earth Enterprises.
That said, we would love to return and share more upcoming sets. There is so much to come for Magic: The Gathering, we're always looking to invite everyone to join us at the table or online with Arena, and what better way to do that than at Summer Game Fest?
Now that your foot's in the door, would you attempt a return to SGF with an original MTG set, or are there other partnerships in the pipeline that you'd consider bringing?
Nice try.
