Wizards of the Coast has announced that its Universes Beyond approach is expanding into Dungeons & Dragons, beginning with Dungeons & Dragons: World of Warcraft. The news is significant for role-playing fans, but it also points towards a likely Magic: The Gathering set based on Azeroth in 2027.
The crossover would fit neatly into the wider tabletop landscape covered in our arcade and gaming news, particularly as licensed worlds become an increasingly visible part of the hobby.
Wizards revealed three Magic Multiverse sets at MagicCon: Amsterdam in July. The company is expected to hold back its next Universes Beyond announcement for MagicCon: Atlanta in November. One of the three 2027 releases is almost certainly connected to Marvel, following the multiyear partnership that produced Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2025 and Marvel Super Heroes in 2026. Another of the remaining slots is scheduled for 9 April.
Not every Universes Beyond project has been welcomed by players. The strongest objections have tended to focus on properties seen as distant from Magic’s fantasy foundations, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the forthcoming Star Trek set. During Hasbro’s latest earnings call, chief executive Chris Cocks said the 2027 partners would sit closer to fantasy.
Azeroth already speaks Magic’s language
World of Warcraft is an obvious candidate under that description. The setting shares several established creature types with Magic, including elves, zombies and dragons, while its enormous catalogue of spells and equipment could translate naturally into cards. Azeroth’s regions could also provide a strong foundation for the game’s land cards.
The five colours of Magic offer an especially clear way to interpret the world: the Horde’s red banners in Orgrimmar, Stormwind’s brilliant white marble and the shadowy depths of Undercity each suggest different visual and thematic identities. The setting was already a strong contender for a future Universes Beyond release before the Dungeons & Dragons connection was announced.
A shared project would also allow Wizards to reuse creative assets across the two games, potentially reducing art costs. The companies have established links between these brands before, including the 2021 Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Magic set and Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks such as Mythic Odysseys of Theros (2020), Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos (2021) and Lorwyn: First Light (2025).
What Wizards is saying about the overlap
“I love all our Magic products like Strixhaven, Lorwyn, and Theros,” D&D creative leader Laura Hohman said during a virtual press conference. She added that the team would keep assessing the best timing and release strategy for each project, but could not confirm whether the games would overlap. For now, she said, the focus was on World of Warcraft, due in the fourth quarter.
Her comments stop short of confirming a Magic release, but they leave room for one. For tabletop players weighing how licensed settings might translate into physical play, the same practical questions that apply when choosing a home arcade machine still matter: how coherent the experience feels, how long the product remains supported and whether it earns a place alongside existing favourites.
Why the card-game competition matters
The World of Warcraft Trading Card Game has been out of print since 2013. It was effectively replaced by Blizzard’s digital collectible card game, Hearthstone. Wizards’ core business is physical cards, while Blizzard is unlikely to be especially concerned about players moving to Magic: The Gathering Arena.
The situation is different for the other announced Dungeons & Dragons Universes Beyond partnership: Star Wars, planned for 2027. Fantasy Flight launched Star Wars: Unlimited two years ago and will issue its ninth set in October. Its designers have outlined plans through 2028, while organised play has continued to grow through events including July’s Galactic Championship in Las Vegas.
Rumours of a Magic Star Wars set appeared in April after some Secrets of Strixhaven cards carried foil stamps featuring an X-wing. That turned out to be a factory mix-up involving cards printed for both games.
One possibility is that Wizards secured only the tabletop role-playing licence for Star Wars, which would still be a valuable arrangement. If a future Magic set could be positioned as complementary rather than competitive with Star Wars: Unlimited, the property would still satisfy the fantasy-adjacent direction. It could also draw on spacecraft rules introduced in Edge of Eternities, alongside the franchise’s creatures, legendary figures and equipment.
That leaves a plausible 2027 picture: Marvel and World of Warcraft are both strong possibilities, with Star Wars potentially joining them. None of this is a formal confirmation, but the combination of shared fantasy language, existing brand connections and a compatible physical-card market makes a Magic: The Gathering and World of Warcraft crossover difficult to dismiss.
For more tabletop-inspired entertainment at home, browse arcade machines, explore compact bartop arcades, or consider a virtual pinball machine.
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