Magic: The Gathering Online

Magic: The Gathering Online
Magic: the Gathering Online Logo
Developer(s)Leaping Lizard Software (initial)
Wizards of the Coast (v2.0)
Daybreak Game Company (from October 2022 and on)
Publisher(s)Wizards of the Coast
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseJune 2002
Genre(s)Digital collectible card game
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Magic: The Gathering Online is a video game adaptation of Magic: The Gathering, utilizing the concept of a virtual economy to preserve the collectible aspect of the card game.[1] It is played through an Internet service operated by Wizards of the Coast, which went live on June 24, 2002.[2] The game does not run on mobile (iOS or Android) as Magic: the Gathering Arena does, since it is only available for Microsoft Windows. Users can play the game or trade cards with other users.

As of February 2007, Magic Online has over 300,000 registered accounts;[3] this does not represent the true number of players since people are allowed to register multiple accounts. According to Worth Wollpert in 2007, Magic Online was "somewhere between 30% to 50% of the total Magic business."[4] In December 2021, Wizards of the Coast entered into a "long-term" licensing agreement to transfer development, operations, and publishing of Magic Online to Daybreak Games.[5]

  1. ^ "Magic: The Gathering Online Review". Retrieved May 27, 2009. What is most significant about Magic Online is its focus on the sale of collectible digital information. [...]. Each card is individually numbered using a secure encryption system and stored remotely, and the online cards can be traded instantaneously and in a safe manner.
  2. ^ "Magic: The Gathering Online". MobyGames. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  3. ^ "Magic Online III PC game" (Press release). Wizards of the Coast. February 9, 2007. Archived from the original on February 19, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2007.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference gamespyinterview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Daybreak Games Acquires the Rights to Develop and Publish Magic: The Gathering Online". News Powered by Cision. December 23, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2024.