The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle Earth on track to be Magic's best selling set ever

Magic: The Gathering's newest Universes Beyond set, The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, was the second biggest launch sell-in ever.

Magic: The Gathering's newest Universes Beyond set, The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, was the second biggest launch sell-in ever and is tracking to be the biggest selling Magic set of all time says parent company Hasbro during the company's 2023 second quarter financial results announcement.

"The Hasbro team delivered a solid second quarter, with revenue ahead of our expectations, significant reduction of inventory, and meaningful progress toward our transformation and cost savings programs," said Chris Cocks, Hasbro chief executive officer.  ""New products are delighting our fans around the world, including...the release of Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond set, The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, which is already the second largest set in Magic's history."

Due, in part, to the set's popularity and sales numbers, Hasbro's Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming segment posted a net revenue of $375.6 million in the second quarter of 2023 with an operating profit of $147.3 million.

Overall, the segment saw a revenue decrease of 11 percent and an operating profit decline of 37 percent.  Hasbro says higher royalty expense associated with Universes Beyond and increased investments were the causes.

Magic: The Gathering's next set, Commander Masters is scheduled to release Friday, Aug. 4.