Interview with Disney about the growth of the Lorcana challenge at D23.

Over the weekend, D23 presented an exciting lineup of announcements spanning across all of Disney’s powerful franchises. The Editor-in-Chief of Bleeding Cool, Kaitlyn Booth, They fully immersed themselves in the lively ambiance of the event and also conducted several interviews up close. We are now extending our conversation to focus on the Disney Lorcana Trading card game from Ravensburger. Ryan Miller , a designer specializing in branding. Steve Warner , the person in charge of designing games and co-creating them. In May 2024, Disney Lorcana revealed their latest announcement. Lorcana Challenge A fresh competition platform has been introduced for fans of illumineers to showcase their abilities against others and have the chance to win some remarkable rewards. We learned about the team’s approach to game balance and managing these popular new circuits that are quickly filling up.

You have a diverse range of players, including young children who are just starting out, as well as experienced individuals who have been playing games like Magic the Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Pokémon for many years. How do you ensure the game remains fair and balanced with such a broad spectrum of players?

Steve mentioned that a significant amount of testing and practicing is involved in the process. He emphasized the hard work put in by their development team to ensure the cards are enjoyable and balanced, with a variety of options available. Additionally, he acknowledged the support provided by the design team in making improvements as needed.

The Disney Lorcana Challenges have been incredibly popular and are selling out quickly. I’ve heard that even locations such as Vegas sold out within minutes. Are there any plans to expand and make it larger to accommodate more participants?

Ryan expressed his certainty by saying “I’m fully committed to this. The main point is that we should avoid taking on more than we can handle.” . Initially, we set the limit at 512 for the challenge, but soon realized it was insufficient. Within a day, we increased it to 2000, but decided to halt there due to two main reasons. Firstly, finding a venue larger than that would be a challenge. Secondly, as an organization, we are still enhancing our skills and capabilities in this domain. Therefore, we are cautious about pushing the limit too far.

We aim to provide the best possible experience to our customers who invest their time and money in our services. We are focused on ensuring that our growth does not compromise the quality of our offerings. While we may introduce changes in the upcoming season and beyond, our current priority is to maintain the quality of service for our existing customer base. Our goal is to gradually expand and improve our services to meet the needs of a larger audience in the future.

Are you interested in admiring Magic’s approach to their work and exploring how other card games approach their design?

Ryan acknowledged that it would be foolish not to mention that he and Steve both have a background at Wizards of the Coast. They first met while working in retail at the company before transitioning to Research and Development.

Steven mentioned that he had been present for a duration of 16 years.

Ryan mentioned that even though his time there was short, he still spent a decade at that place.

Steve mentioned that they monitor a wide range of games and have their play testers engage in multiple games to gain insights into various strategies and intricacies. This diverse experience with different games aids them in enhancing their designs and development process.