Hasbro is having major changes with its Magic: The Gathering brand. Wizards of the Coast President Chris Cocks announced on Thursday the launch of Universes Beyond, a new series of cards that will feature crossovers with other franchises. They will include the Warhammer 40,000 franchise and characters from JRR Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
MagicUniverses Beyond’s first crossover was announced in September. He will present the Wizards Dungeons & Dragons franchise in a set of cards called Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. It is not by far the first crossing with D&D, since the table RPG has published reference books based on Magic tradition for years.
The partnership with Games Workshop is another surprise. The UK-based company has had an incredible resurgence in recent years, with plastic kits missing all over the world. It also experienced a major bottleneck in its card-based products. It is not known whether Wizards will lend its expertise to help resolve this shortage, which has resulted in money changers charging exorbitant prices for online card sets.
Enterprises of Middle-earth, formerly Tolkien Enterprises, gives Wizards access to certain Tolkien works. That includes The Hobbit and the characters in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Polygon contacted Wizards of the Coast, Games Workshop and Middle-earth Enterprises for more information.
The announcement was made Thursday during a call from Hasbro investors.