Magic: The Gathering Won't Feature a Harry Potter Set Anytime Soon

Wizards of the Coast has made it clear that they have no current intentions of integrating any magical institutions beyond their own Strixhaven into future Magic: The Gathering sets, hinting that a collaboration with Harry Potter is not forthcoming. This clarification emerged from a Reddit interaction by the official WOTC_CommunityTeam account, which responded to inquiries on the Magic: The Gathering subreddit regarding the possibility of utilizing the Harry Potter franchise. The discussion was ignited by a slide from a recent Hasbro earnings call, where the parent company of WOTC mentioned potential expansions of partnerships with various intellectual properties, including Harry Potter, KPop Demon Hunters, Street Fighter, and Voltron. In their response, WOTC_CommunityTeam stated, "The Magic Multiverse has its own school of Magic at Strixhaven with plenty of secrets still to explore. Our Universes Beyond roadmap currently doesn't have us visiting any others." The use of the term "currently" leaves a slight opening for the potential of a future Harry Potter collaboration. WOTC has been increasingly releasing collaborative sets under their "Universes Beyond" banner in recent years, although these have sparked legal discussions. Additionally, they have produced smaller "Secret Lair" sets for various collaborations. However, the planning for these sets often extends several years into the future, typically around three years, or up to five years for some franchises like Final Fantasy. This suggests that a Harry Potter-themed set is unlikely to materialize in the near term. Despite Harry Potter's immense popularity, feedback from the Reddit community largely opposes the idea of introducing the franchise into Magic: The Gathering. This sentiment is largely influenced by the controversial views of author J.K. Rowling, particularly her transphobic comments and significant financial support for anti-trans initiatives. In stark contrast, a fundraiser organized by the popular Magic content creator Tolarian Community College recently raised over $600,000 for Trans Lifeline in just three days. Magic: The Gathering itself has made strides in inclusivity, having introduced its first canonically trans character, Alesha, Who Smiles at Death, back in 2015, later evolving her into a prominent Commander card.