It looks like much more is in store for the digital versions of Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, according to a statement released by Chris Cocks, the president of Wizards of the Coast.
According to Cocks, the company has recently created the Digital Games Studio, a group of developers with experience from Valve, BioWare, WB Interactive and more. The team working on Magic Online is also now involved in the Digital Games Studio. The goal of the studio is to think about “how players might tap mana and prepare spells in the future.”
While no specific games were mentioned, a few ideas thrown around by Wizards of the Coast include a Magic MMO, with players taking on the role of a Planeswalker, and a game idea involving augmented reality and D&D . To encourage these types of projects, Wizards of the Coast has hired someone to run a publishing team, looking to work with outside developers on Magic and D&D games.
Outside of making new digital games, Wizards will explore how to make their products more user-friendly. “From getting matched in a big tournament to tracking your achievements to simply getting friends together for game night, there's a lot that goes into a good experience with a game outside of the game itself,” Cocks said. A new team has been created to focus on connecting in-store and online interactions to create a “cohesive and connected experience” with the games.
More updates are forthcoming from Wizards, but this certainly is enough to get the imagination dancing. The thought of playing a game of D&D where my character comes to life on an iPad is kind of exciting to think about.
So what do you think? Are you interested in new games from the Magic and D&D universes? What kind of apps or tools would you like to see incorporated into your Friday Night Magic or D&D sessions? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
