Summary

  • Magic: The Gathering Arena's player count hit a record peak thanks to the new Final Fantasy set.
  • The set pays tribute to Square Enix's long-running fantasy series, and Arena's previous 12,000 peak was surpassed by 17,261.
  • Fans speculate the collaboration's success could inspire future sets with other franchises, like Xenoblade and Mortal Kombat.

The beloved Final Fantasy series has helped another game break a new record on Steam, and it involves Magic: The Gathering’s player count. Magic: The Gathering has evolved from its 1993 debut from Wizards of the Coast to become one of the most popular collectible and tabletop card games, as well as encompassing a successful digital variant of the hobby. MTG is known for being one of the most complex tabletop games to master, inspired by other fantasy RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons.

Released as part of MTG’s Universes Beyond series, the Final Fantasy set celebrates the franchise’s 16 mainline games, debuting for the first time back in 1987. The recent collaboration has spoiled card collectors and gamers alike, and some Final Fantasy fans think MTG’s commander decks offer a perfect shortlist for future remakes, following Final Fantasy 7’s path.

legendary pictures magic the gathering movie tv franchise
Legendary Studios Is Making Hasbro's Magic The Gathering Into A Movie & TV Franchise

While Magic: The Gathering has seen a ton of success as a multimedia enterprise, the franchise is ready to put a few shiny new cards up its sleeve.

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Posted by kananishino on Reddit, a screenshot was shared on the “magicTCG” subreddit, showing the Steam player count over the last seven days in Magic: The Gathering Arena, a free-to-play digital version of the game. The original poster noted that Arena recently surpassed its all-time peak player count only one hour after the release of the digital Final Fantasy set. The game’s all-time peak was 12,000 previously, before jumping up to 17,261. The Best War Games’s preview of MTG’s Final Fantasy set declared it was a love letter to fans, and the new record set in the tabletop’s mobile arena is a testament to both games’ popularity.

Magic: The Gathering's New Final Fantasy Set Helped Break Arena's Player Count

Ahead of the set’s full physical release on June 13, 2025, the Final Fantasy community has spotted brilliant references to the game series, especially through the tabletop’s Land, Artifact, and Instant cards, and fans are confident MTG’s numbers will continue to rise during the set’s full launch. One Redditor noted the 5,000-player count jump was impressive but only relevant to Steam users, emphasizing that a lot more players use the iOS or Android apps to bump that count up even higher. Additionally, the hype that Final Fantasy has created around MTG caused players to guess how many other franchises could achieve the same excitement, with some examples including Xenoblade Chronicles and Mortal Kombat.

Not only has the new fantastical set provided fans with a healthy dose of nostalgia, but some thought one MTG Sephiroth card offered a Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 tease. Presenting the original 1997 game’s final boss, the “Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel” card showcases what appears to be a new design for Safer Sephiroth, which could potentially make an appearance in the anticipated third remake from Square.

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Magic: The Gathering
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Original Release Date
August 5, 1993
Designer
Richard Garfield
Player Count
2+
Age Recommendation
13+
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