Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy Hits $200M in One Day

Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy Universes Beyond expansion proved exceptionally popular, breaking records as the fastest-selling set in the game's history, according to Hasbro. Its Secret Lair collaboration sold out in record time. While availability of boosters, starter kits, and decks has since improved, there was a period when securing any Magic x Final Fantasy product was challenging. The set's success even drove up prices of non-Final Fantasy cards due to their strong synergy with the new release.

Moreover, it reportedly generated $200 million in just one day—matching the revenue earned by Magic's Lord of the Rings set over six months.

Hasbro revealed this milestone during its Q2 earnings call, noting that Magic: The Gathering's revenue grew 23% year-over-year, largely thanks to the Final Fantasy launch. CEO Chris Cox stated that the set attracted more new players to stores in two weeks than any other set typically does in twelve. During the investor Q&A, Cox shared further insights (courtesy of Investing.com’s transcript):

Regarding Final Fantasy’s performance compared to expectations, let me compare two of our biggest Universes Beyond launches. Lord of the Rings took six months to reach $200 million in revenue.

Final Fantasy achieved that in a single day—and we still couldn’t meet all the demand. We increased production runs four times before the release, making it substantially larger by high double-digit percentages than any previous production.

We left the market wanting more, and we expect a strong ongoing demand for this product. Similarly, Lord of the Rings continues to sell well today. Although it hit $200 million in December 2022, a significant portion of that revenue came in the following years, and we anticipate Final Fantasy will follow a similar pattern.

This sustained interest fuels our backlist performance, which in just five and a half months this year has already surpassed any previous full-year record. This is part of why we're optimistic about Final Fantasy's long-term impact. What made it successful? A few factors: first, selecting IPs that resonate with Magic fans or attract new audiences is key.

Lord of the Rings was a phenomenal choice—it’s the foundational work of fantasy, with major books, films, animation, and games. Final Fantasy holds similar, if not greater, IP strength in some regions, with broader global appeal and a stronger gaming connection, having originated as a video game. The fan base overlap may even be stronger than with Lord of the Rings.

In a follow-up, Cox expressed confidence in future collaborations and first-party sets planned for next year, expecting them to appeal to similar player communities and align well with fan interests.

This outlook is promising for fans of the Final Fantasy collaboration. With recent crossovers like Sonic the Hedgehog's Secret Lair, and upcoming sets themed around Spider-Man and Avatar: The Last Airbender in September and November, Hasbro is likely to pursue more such partnerships. In the meantime, players who haven’t yet obtained Final Fantasy cards can expect continued availability, as Hasbro plans to keep the product well-stocked.