Disney will launch a new card game to go up against Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon

polygon.com:

Disney may be the king of theme parks, streaming television, and major motion pictures, but when it comes to collectible card games, the House of Mouse must tread lightly. Magic: The Gathering and the Pokémon Trading Card Game have dominated the industry for decades, each a billion-dollar franchise in its own right. Now, Disney has partnered with a powerful new ally: Ravensburger, a 139-year-old game publisher. The new joint effort is called Disney Lorcana, a family-friendly collectible trading card game. The first sets are expected in the latter half of 2023.

Most board game consumers will recognize Ravensburger for its popular line of Disney-themed strategy board games, called Disney Villainous. That series began in 2018 and now contains nearly 30 villains from all across the Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars universes. With Disney Lorcana, Ravensburger says that it wants to take things to the next level.

“The basic idea is there’s this place called The Great Illuminary,” said brand manager Ryan Miller, a veteran of Wizards of the Coast who also helped design the gameplay of Disney Lorcana. “It is a treasury of all the Disney songs and stories ever made — all the characters — and it’s where they’re kind of recorded. The players take on this role of an Illumineer — this powerful sorcerer that has the ability to bring these characters to life off the page. [Players will be] bringing a band of their favorite Disney characters together to adventure in this world.”

The collectible game will include a “modern storybook” art style, said head of games Cassidy Werner. Shane Hartley, global games creative director, said that it “was inspired by the storybook openings of classic Disney films and features visible line work and vibrant