Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers, which launched on Xbox 360 in June, has been bringing new players to Magic, both online and in stores.  The new players of the tabletop Magic have been recruited by a redemption program that offers purchasers of the Duels of the Planeswalkers base game on Xbox Live Arcade a code good for a foil Garruk Wildspeaker Planeswalker promo card and two Starter Decks at Magic retailers. 

The launch of Duels of the Planeswalkers for Xbox has been successful in its own right, with the sale of over 252,000 downloads and 625,000 trials since its June launch.  These new players requested the promo card in large numbers, and 40% of those requesting the promo card went on to redeem the voucher for a sample deck at a store, according to information provided by Wizards of the Coast. 

The redemptions are widespread:  86% of Magic retailers are reporting sample deck redemptions, and nearly half of those reporting redemptions are reporting ten or more, according to WotC.

And the free cards are producing new or returning players:  62% of retailers report that new customers have returned to the store since receiving a free deck, and 45% of retailers report that those new customers are participating in Magic organized play.   

The success of Duels of the Planeswalkers and the associated redemption program may be one reason why Magic sales are up, as is participation in Magic events (see “Magic Events Booming”). 

Duels of the Planeswalkers will launch on the PC next summer, and on PlayStation 3 next fall.