Magic: The Gathering Arena hits Steam in May but leaves console arrival unanswered

Magic: The Gathering’s digital client, MTG Arena, will launch a Steam version on May 23rd, opening the popular trading card game to one of the largest PC gaming audiences. This news puts the release ahead of schedule and well before any solid news on Arena for current video game consoles. Publisher Wizards of the Coast dropped the news over the weekend at MagicCon Minneapolis, announcing to crowds of attendees and those streaming from home that the game client previously hosted through Epic Games’ proprietary launcher could now be wishlisted on Steam ahead of its full release. Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks told investors earlier this year that Arena’s expansion plans wouldn’t move forward until later in 2023 but included eventual releases on both Steam and major consoles. Prioritising a direct tap into the massive PC player base that uses Steam makes sense, and the jump likely won’t be as resource heavy as separate video game clients for the Nintendo Switch, PS5 and Xbox Series X. Read more