Collectible card games (TCGs) have been around for around thirty years. The first of these, Magic, still exists. But Ravensburger’s Lorcana steamroller, which explores characters from the Disney universe, released in August 2023, has revolutionized this booming sector. The managers of the Ludivers store and games bar in Gellainville are analyzing the phenomenon.
This is the story of a phenomenon anchored in pop culture for more than thirty years, which experienced a dazzlingly successful turn in August 2023, when the juggernaut of global animation, Disney, got involved. and reshuffled the cards. “Lorcana has changed everything. It’s Disney magic!”, says Mathias Girard, 37, creator of the company Lama 3D, based in Hermeray (Yvelines) and specializing in fun worlds.
Indeed, the little mouse has transformed the TCG, that is to say trading cards game or more simply in French collectible card games (JCC) for the uninitiated, into solid gold. An alliance between Disney, the American entertainment giant, and Ravensburger, the German firm with almost 150 years of expertise in board games, has made these little pieces of cardboard a real cash machine. A dazzling success, which surprised even specialists, such as the four co-managers of Ludivers, a shop and games bar located in the Équerre park in Gellainville. “Success at this point, we didn’t see it coming,” recognizes Damien Correia, one of the four co-managers.
Pokémon: 43.2 billion cards sold
But before dissecting this phenomenon, let’s return to the genesis of the JCC. If you have not lost the thread of the story in this universe of enthusiasts, another license, Pokémon will allow you to better understand it. You have certainly seen your grandchildren, your children or toddlers around you, their eyes wide with happiness in front of the scarlet and purple version of Minotaupe or Colombeau. Pokémon trading cards were released in Japan in 1996.
They invaded French schoolyards from 1999. Since then, no less than 43.2 billion cards have been sold worldwide (2023 figure).
Could the price of Pokémon and Magic cards collapse one day?
Two wizards confronting each other
JCCs are often based on existing franchises (Pokémon, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh, Star Wars or Lorcana for Disney characters) or their own universes (Magic).
“There are two aspects that explain the success of TCGs. The first mechanic is the desire to collect cards in search of rarity. Then, there is the pure gaming side. In Magic for example, the players are two wizards who confront each other Using spells materialized by the cards, we will try to defeat the opponent.
Tim Degrave.
Tim Degrave is one of four associates of Ludivers, a Magic card player for twenty-five years. If Magic remains the first of the TCGs, released in 1993, it is losing a little enthusiasm. “Magic has been losing momentum for several years. Then Lorcana arrived in August 2023,” explains Damien Correia, one of the managers of Ludivers. “The game is not even a year old and it crushed all competition.” The managers of Ludivers have pointed out several explanations for this phenomenon.
Magic, Pokémon, Lorcana… Why are collectible card games popular?
Touch people’s hearts
“Half of the players who come to buy Lorcana cards from us, we had never seen them at the store. They are not the usual TCG audience. They are a lot of adults, people in their thirties or forties who were raised with Disney characters and who today have money and purchasing power. Conversely, Pokémon cards work especially with children”, analyzes Rémi Royer, one of the four founders of Ludivers.
The collector side is quite addictive, because Ravensburger, the game’s publisher, has implemented an unstoppable commercial strategy.
With Lorcana, Disney tackles collectible card games
“Ravensburger created rare cards, called enchanted, with key characters from Disney films, which touched people’s hearts. That’s magic. In less than a year, the company has already released three chapters of 204 cards each. Which already makes 612. The rules of the game are also simpler”, confides Mathias Girard of the company Lama 3D.
Mathias Girard (Creator of the company Lama 3D)
Altered, highly anticipated in September
The fourth chapter, entitled The Return of Ursula, in reference to the sea witch in The Little Mermaid, is officially released in all points of sale on May 31, but in preview in specialized stores from this Friday the 17th. may.
Moreover, an evening with a tournament will be organized this Friday, May 17, at Ludivers from 7:30 p.m. A “booster” or a pack of twelve cards is sold between €6 and €8. A “display” which contains twenty-four boosters of twelve cards, or 288 cards, is sold for €134 at Ludivers. A tidy sum, but which does not frighten collectors. “In other JCCs, customers come to buy one or more boosters, on Lorcana, customers buy “displays” directly.”
“When we launched our game bar project three years ago, we didn’t think we would focus our sales so much on JCCs. Initially, we had a dedicated sales window, today we have four In 2022, JCCs represented 16% of our sales over the year, 37% in 2023, and since January, they already correspond to 51% of our total sales over five months,” analyzes Rémi Royer.
After the steamroller Lorcana, Damien Correia awaits another outing. This is Altered which is due to be released on September 13, 2024. Created by Poitevin Régis Bonnessée, who launched the board game Dixit, Altered promises to revolutionize the genre by integrating a QR code on each card, which will allow the holder to have others reprinted. During the game’s crowdfunding campaign, 6.2 million euros were donated from 15,000 donors around the world.
Disney is competing with Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh by launching its own card game??
Launch evening and Lorcana tournament, Friday May 17, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. at Ludivers, 10, Parc de l’Équerre in Gellainville.
Claire Béguin
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