Game makers Upper Deck have gone public with a legal battle they’ve entered into.
Ravensburger and an ex-Upper Deck game designer are accused of stealing a Lorcana and repackaging it as the TCG Lorcana.
It will be a huge game, and this will help even more as it’s a Disney TCG. Polygon’s Charlie Hall has already reported on high prices in market sites for what few copies are out there (or what people think they can get quickly).
A scan of eBay reveals boxes going for over $240. Even gaming retail giants like Wayland Games are currently sold out of Lorcana booster boxes, although there are plenty of smaller packs available.
Upper Deck’s president Jason Masherah explained;
We invested significant time and resources to develop a new and novel trading card game. Our current leadership values the importance of protecting intellectual property of both Upper Deck and its licensors,”
The public statement also added;
We want gamers and fans to continue enjoying and having access to unique, innovative and immersive trading card games,” added Masherah. “We encourage competition in the industry, but also strongly believe in playing by the rules to ensure the gaming community benefits from the different creative choices by each manufacturer.”
Upper Deck is a global company known for trading cards, collectables, on and offline games.
Ravensburger is over 140 years old, also global and based in Germany. The privately owned company owns games like Scotland Year, and Java and has the license to some titles like Disney’s Villainous and Star War.
What is Lorcana?
Ravensburger described the game;
Launching on 18 August at specialist game retailers, and then nationally on 1 September, Disney Lorcana is a collectible trading card game that transports two or more players to the magical realm of Lorcana. Here, players become “Illumineers” and wield magic ink to summon a team of Disney characters known as “glimmers,” who appear in both familiar and reimagined forms.
In Disney Lorcana, players embark on a search for lost lore with their teams of glimmers. They’ll play characters, actions, and items from their hand and choose whether to “quest” for lore with their glimmers or challenge their opponents. The first player to collect 20 lore wins.
Ryan Miller, co-designer and Brand Manager of Disney Lorcana and named in earlier Ravensburger, also said;
My co-designer Steve Warner and I kept four factors in mind when designing the game: approachability, fun, strategy, and whimsy. We created streamlined rules that we believe will engage new players, while also developing enough strategy in the game to engage experienced players.
We also wanted to make sure Lorcana feels like a Disney game, which is shown through the art, flavour text, and design. For example, there are “song” cards in the game based on songs from Disney films. Whilst you’re not required to sing them when you play, we highly encourage it.”
Ravensburger planned to have early access to the game at UKGE. Geek Native was there, but I cannot confirm if Ravensburger revealed as much as they had planned.
The company has not yet released a statement in response to Upper Deck.
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