Magic: The Gathering‘s highly anticipated Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy crossover set has exploded onto the scene with an unprecedented $200 million in sales on its first day. This figure, which combines day-one purchases and preorder revenue, marks the most successful product launch in Magic‘s 30-year history.
The crossover shattered the previous record held by the Lord of the Rings set, which took six months to reach the same sales figure. This huge milestone brings in roughly 20% of Magic‘s typical annual revenue—just in one day.
Featuring cards and artwork inspired by all sixteen mainline Final Fantasy games from SQUARE ENIX, the set has received praise for its authentic references to beloved franchise moments, characters, and mechanics. Collectors have particularly sought after the 16 alternate-art “Cid” cards, each representing a different mainline game’s version of the character.
Despite Wizards of the Coast reportedly expanding their planned print runs multiple times before release, the extraordinary demand led to widespread product shortages. Physical products including booster boxes, collector’s boxes, and Commander decks sold out almost instantly at both distributor and retail levels.
The scarcity has fueled a wild secondary market, with some rare cards going for huge markups. One collector reportedly resold a shiny Y’shtola card for £800 on launch day, highlighting the frenzied demand.
This crossover is a big moment in Wizards of the Coast’s Universes Beyond series, which brings Magic cards together with non-Magic franchises. Previous crossovers have included Lord of the Rings, Warhammer 40K, and Doctor Who, but none have matched the commercial success of Final Fantasy.
The team spent nearly four years putting together this collaboration and getting the green light for licensing, making sure both franchises were respected. They really worked to weave Final Fantasy’s signature vibes into the way Magic plays.
Chocobos flying off shelves
More Final Fantasy-themed Magic products are coming later this year, with festive releases like “Scene Boxes” and a “Chocobo Bundle.” The massive success has already started chatter that future crossovers could see steeper prices and bigger production runs.
The huge numbers show what happens when you bring together two legendary gaming worlds that have super dedicated fans. While some old-school Magic players have talked about how crossover sets change the game’s identity, those sales numbers pretty much say it all.
