Magic Duels side

ID@Xbox Creator Spotlight: Stainless Games Keeps the Magic Duels Updates Flowing

In 2009, a team of passionate Magic: The Gathering players and game developers from the Isle of Wight, England approached Wizards of the Coast. That team was called Stainless Games and together we made Magic’s first XBLA game, Duels of the Planeswalkers.

Since the first Duels of the Planeswalkers launched, Stainless Games and Magic: The Gathering R&D (the team I’ve been a part of since 2011) have formed a closer relationship to make better gaming experiences. I was brought on as Lead Designer to guide a talented R&D team as we crafted a new free play experience, Magic Duels.

Wizards of the Coast R&D now works with Stainless Games to create a unique way to play Magic: The Gathering through metagame and economy design, single player campaigns, and a learn-to-play-Magic system.

Magic Duels diverged from our annual release model, and as a persistent client with regular updates required a lot more people and a lot more work. There have been three card set releases since Magic Duels launched in 2015, growing the library to over 700 unique cards. And more are added with each update. Or as our developers visualize it, tens of thousands of different potential card interactions they built, with thousands more they need to build every few months. It’s the best kind of challenging/rewarding work. And I’ll admit, we still have things to learn.

We started working with an indie developer from the Isle of Wight making a standalone Magic game. Now we’re a team of close to 100 people across three time zones all working to make a great Magic experience for players, one update at a time. We can’t wait to bring you more.

Be sure to grab during this week’s ID@Xbox Game Fest sale!