Death threats over card bans have led to publisher Hasbro taking over the management of Magic: The Gathering’s popular Commander format.
Developer Wizards of the Coast announced this week that they would take over control of the Commander format from the Commander Rules Committee, a volunteer-based organization that had curated the rules and ban list for the format since its formal inception back in 2011. The move became necessary after members of the Committee faced alleged death threats, doxing, and threats of confrontations at live events over a Magic: The Gathering card ban announcement last month. While the Rules Committee will still remain involved in some way, the takeover marks a dramatic shift in what was a format created and managed by the fans.
