Disney is making its move into the trading card game genre with “Disney Lorcana”, combining iconic Disney characters into playable battle decks. It looks like card game giants “Yu-Gi-Oh”, “Magic: The Gathering” and the “Pokémon Trading Card Game” have some competition.
To bring this project to light, Disney has partnered with the 139-year-old game publishing giant Ravensburger. Board game enthusiasts will recognize the publisher for “Disney Villainous” – their popular Disney-themed strategy board game, containing villainous characters from Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars universes. Ravensburger had made a bold claim –they aim to top “Disney Villainous” with “Disney Lorcana”, taking the game to the next level. With Disney and Ravensburger’s giant pockets, the claim should not be taken lightly.
Filip Francke, Ravensburger North America CEO and global head of games has shared his thoughts on the big-picture implications of the partnership:
This game is probably the largest potential that Ravensburger has ever gone after, and hence also probably the largest investment that we have ever done into any type of project and initiative.
Filip Francke, Ravensburger North America CEO and global head of games
Disney Invites You to Explore the Illuminary!
The game is set in the world of “the Great Illuminary” – a magical place where every Disney song and story is kept. Players will become “Illumineers” – sorcerers that can band together iconic heroes (or villains) from across Disney-owned franchises. So far, no specific characters have been announced. It is expected, however, that they will be revealed on September 9 and 11 at the largest Disney fan event in the world – the D23 expo. The possibilities are literally endless. Classic Disney characters are sure to make an appearance, but many are wondering whether or not newer Pixar or live-action characters will be included.
So far, gameplay mechanics are still being kept under wraps. However, Ryan Miller, “Disney Lorcana”’s designer has stated that the game will not be as mechanically complex as “Magic the Gathering”, but that in turn will make it more accessible and appealing to a wider audience.
It seems like “Disney Lorcana” will share more similarities with Pokémon than Magic. Miller has added that they want their players to have a fun experience with the characters they adore, rather than have a high confrontational experience while playing.
Naturally, as with many card games, the card art is extremely important. It’s what draws people in initially, so card game enthusiasts are wondering how will the cards look like. Luckily, the team behind “Disney Lorcana” has provided some insight into that matter. Cassidy Werner, North America’s head of games has stated that the world of Lorcana will have a “modern storybook” art style.
Shane Hartley, global games creative director has expanded on this, adding that the game will be ”inspired by the storybook openings of classic Disney films and features visible line work and vibrant color washes”, as well as “mixes both traditional hand-drawn qualities seen in fairy-tale storybooks with new digital techniques.”
With Ravensburger’s “Disney Lorcana” set to launch in fall 2023, and the D23 expo just around the corner, more news is bound to pop up, so we will keep you posted when they arrive!