"We've learned a lot from the fan reaction," MTG The Hobbit designers say as they battle dwarves and narrative constraints to create the most faithful adaptation yet

Bilbo Baggins holds the Arkenstone on stony steps with his hood up, clutching rope in his other hand.

If you look at online chatter surrounding Magic: The Gatherings Universes Beyond IP collaborations, it’s easy to believe that they’re universally hated. Yet as people queue up to take photographs with Marvel standees at Magic Con and fans enthusiastically pay top dollar for Final Fantasy MTG sets, the on-the-ground reality seems to tell a different story.

"We've learned a lot from the fan reaction," principal game designer Gavin Verhey notes when reflecting on the evolution of Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond. "We're always learning, listening to people, and taking in feedback. Universes Beyond is still in its relative infancy... so we're putting out all kinds of things and learning from them."