Some Hasbro shareholders are suing the company over Magic: the Gathering sales

Some Hasbro shareholders are suing the company for its “mismanagement”. Magic: the Gathering brand, takes issue with the latest decisions for the beloved card game. Hasbro stands as one of the entertainment industry's biggest champions, with its hands in everything from video games and trading card games to beloved television and toy series. Among the largest of Hasbro's many properties is Magic: the Gatheringwhere the trading card game is one of the most recognizable and beloved TCGs in the world. However, some fans have taken issue with Hasbro's recent handling of the game.

Magic: the Gathering has seen some big changes in recent years. Crossovers have become a mainstay in Magic: the Gatherings product range, which expands from limited editions to full-scale expansions based on franchises such as Final Fantasy and Spider-Man. Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro have also greatly increased the production cycle of the game in recent years, officially moving to releasing six Standard-legal sets per year and even planning seven full expansions for launch in 2026. Now, some Hasbro shareholders have finally had enough of Hasbro's modern handling of the game.

Hasbro gets sued over Magic: the Gathering

A new lawsuit filed by several Hasbro shareholders is suing the company for “mismanagement.” Magic: the Gathering stamp. Led by shareholders Joseph Crocono and Ultan McGlone, the suit alleges that Hasbro overprinted Magic: the Gathering expansions, causing pre-existing sets to quickly lose value. The lawsuit cites a massive increase in the number of sets in recent years, citing not only full expansions but the amount of Secret Lair decreasing from Magic: the Gathering. Among the many official claims listed in the Hasbro lawsuit are breach of fiduciary duty, waste of corporate assets, and violation of the Exchange Act, along with several others.

The rising number Magic: the Gathering set is not the only factor referred to in the trial. One of Magic: the Gatherings most controversial releases, the special 30th Anniversary Edition, is cited as a major complaint, claiming that Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast had faked that the product sold out. The lawsuit goes on to cite reports from former employees that Hasbro paused sales of the set “less than an hour after it was released,” even as the unsold product had made its way to “Texas landfills.” The 30th Anniversary Edition was the subject of significant controversy, both for its exorbitant $1,000 price tag and the taboo status of reprinting specific cards such as Black Lotus.

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Magic's product cycle has been the subject of significant criticism

The Magic: the Gathering-based lawsuit raised some major allegations about Hasbro's handling of the Magic also. A statement in the lawsuit refers to Hasbro's use Magic as a “parachute” product, with new Magic emissions to compensate for failures elsewhere in the company. Some expansions, such as Secret Lairs and Magic: the Gatheringpp Baldur's Gate crossover, was specifically named in the lawsuit and claimed that “parachute sets” accounted for more than 40% of Magic: the Gatherings releases in 2022. Hasbro has officially denied the claims made in the lawsuit, claiming that the releases followed its “strategic plan” for Magic.

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Magic: the Gathering looks set to have a busy year ahead with new sets releasing almost every other month throughout 2026. January is officially welcomed Magics first set of the year featuring a fan-favorite in-universe, Lorwyn Eclipsed launches as a return to Lorwyn and Shadowmoor. Wizards of the Coast has two more in-universe sets planned in Secrets of Strixhaven and Reality Fracture, along with four crossover sets featuring TMNT, Marvel Super Heroes, The Hobbitand Star Trek. The new one Magic: the Gathering lawsuit could be an early blemish on an otherwise big year for the beloved card game.