When it comes to epic crossovers, Magic: The Gathering is definitely leading the charge, with the beloved trading card game working with the likes of Marvel, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings franchise, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, to name but a few.

Created by Richard Garfield and released by Wizards of the Coast in 1993, Magic: The Gathering sees players take on the role of Planeswalkers with gameplay consisting of dueling with other players by casting spells, summoning creatures, and using magical artifacts. Over the past thirty-plus years, it has remained one of the most popular card games, but it seems as though one highly requested collaboration will probably not be going ahead.

According to a Tumblr post by Magic: The Gathering head designer Mark Rosewater, a collaboration between the popular card game and the Harry Potter franchise is “very unlikely.” Although Rosewater does not go into any more details, the response is enough to garner mixed responses from fans.

On the one hand, the Harry Potter franchise retains a large fanbase, and with the upcoming Harry Potter television show courtesy of HBO expected to air this December and bring in a whole new legion of fans, it would be the perfect time for the Magic: The Gathering designers to jump on the bandwagon.

However, there is also no denying the elephant in the room, with many previous fans of the franchise boycotting any future releases due to the allegations of hateful speech by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling when it comes to the transgender community. Whilst there is no confirmation that this is the reason a collaboration will not go ahead, it is music to the ears of Magic: The Gathering players who no longer want to associate with the Harry Potter franchise.

With rumors of a potential collaboration lurking in the shadows over recent years, this is the final update we needed, and over on r/magicTCG, fans of the beloved card game discussed Rosewater’s response.

“I’m of course not surprised at the answer, but I am a bit surprised Mark is willing to actually say it, since he’s previously been pretty hesitant to speculate about future UB franchises,” the top comment reads. “I know this is a bit of a special case, but still.”

Another said, “There was a little bit of speculation about this earlier this year as Strixhaven was coming out and Hasbro announced they got a deal with HP.

An official Wizards Reddit account came and commented on that. Something to the effect of “Strixhaven is the only wizarding school that we have plans to explore as of now.” Now, of course, this isn’t a perpetual and definite “no,” but it was a rare occurrence of the official account commenting on something like this. They know partnering with Rowling is poison, and Rosewater saying anything close to a no is further evidence.”

For Harry Potter and Magic: The Gathering fans, this is not the update they have been looking for. However, those who wish to keep the card game away from the controversy surrounding the Harry Potter franchise are definitely in luck.

TV Show(s)

Harry Potter

First Film

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

First TV Show

Harry Potter

Cast

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Richard Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Alfred Enoch, Harry Melling, Gary Oldman, Robert Pattinson, Warwick Davis, Oliver Phelps, James Phelps, David Bradley, David Thewlis, Katie Leung, Jason Isaacs, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant, Jamie Campbell Bower, Timothy Spall, Robbie Coltrane, Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Johnny Depp, Mads Mikkelsen

Character(s)

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Rubeus Hagrid, Dobby the House Elf, Draco Malfoy, Sirius Black, Ginny Weasley, Voldemort

Created by

J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students’ time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.