Netflix’s New High Fantasy Franchise Is Already Bigger Than ‘Game of Thrones’ at Its Peak
There is no doubt that Game of Thrones, at the height of its powers, was one of the biggest high fantasy franchises on the planet. There is still a significant amount of interest in the stories that come out of Westeros, with HBO’s spin-offs continuing to perform well and George R.R. Martin still working away at the long-awaited sixth book in the Song of Ice and Fire series that serves as the live-action franchise’s source material. Still, as immensely popular as Game of Thrones was when it was in full swing, Netflix has something that’s about to blow it out the water in terms of scale.
What makes the upcoming project especially exciting is that Netflix has a long history of building vivid worlds on the back of iconic fantasy source material. The Witcher is one example, as is Wednesday. The platform has earned the right to be trusted with these kinds of things, even if The Witcher has soured a little since Henry Cavill’s exit as Geralt. Still, there is a reason why Netflix remains one of the biggest names in the streaming space, and it’s about to once again prove it with a gargantuan project that other studios may hesitate to undertake.
‘Magic: The Gathering’ Has Significantly More Source Material Than ‘Game of Thrones’ Ever Did
Magic: The Gathering is being adapted into an animated Netflix series with Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas at the helm. Although the project was initially announced in 2019 with the Russo Brothers attached to oversee, Matalas replaced them in 2024, and the adaptation has been making all the right noises since. There’s still no official release date, but with a franchise as large as Magic: The Gathering, it’s best not to rush.
Magic: The Gathering began as a saga in 1993 when the first card game hit the shelves. Since then, additions to the ever-growing lore have come in the form of video games, novels, and more. George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones was only published in 1995, but the much larger team behind Magic: The Gathering has resulted in Martin’s universe falling massively behind in terms of sheer source material for potential adaptations. Not that it was ever a competition in that sense, but it’s important to bear in mind that as complex and detailed as Martin’s magnum opus might be, it is totally dwarfed by what Magic: The Gathering has to offer.
Netflix’s ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Is Already Immune to What Hurt Later Seasons of ‘Game of Thrones’
As much as he planned to stay ahead of the HBO show, George R.R. Martin ultimately failed to do so. The best the Game of Thrones showrunners could eventually do was sit down and talk to the author about what would happen in the books he still had yet to write. As such, Game of Thrones started to adopt a somewhat improvisational approach, which resulted in a dip in quality. Magic: The Gathering won’t have that problem.
There is so much source material available to Terry Matalas and company that a complete story can be mapped out from start to finish. There’ll be no concern about having other corners of the Magic franchise trying to keep pace with the animated series. That’s a very good position to be in, and arguably what HBO should have waited for before beginning production on Game of Thrones. That being said, we’ll have to wait and see if the highest heights of Netflix’s Magic: The Gathering will surpass Game of Thrones‘ greatest efforts.