Trading Card Games Remain a Key Revenue Driver for Asmodee and Hasbro
By Vera Dvorakova
The Enduring Popularity and Financial Impact of Trading Card Games
Trading Card Games as a Core Product Category
Aug 4 (Reuters) - Board gaming company Asmodee's chief executive said on Tuesday that trading card games, an "extremely strong" category in its catalogue, were here to stay.
Trading cards are typically sold in sealed booster packs, a format which encourages repeated purchases by collectors and players alike.
Diversity in Trading Card Game Titles
"On a game-by-game basis, maybe some will see ups and downs, but what's very strong with Asmodee is that we are not depending or relying just on one," Thomas Koegler told Reuters, referring to the range of trading card titles the company distributes.
Koegler said that many of these games were dedicated to specific communities that may overlap slightly, but appear quite separated from one another.
Financial Performance and Revenue Growth
Asmodee's Revenue Breakdown
Trading card games have been an important revenue driver for Asmodee. In the fiscal year that ended in March, they generated 61% of Asmodee's revenue, while Asmodee-published games made up 31%. Trading card game sales also rose 23.1% in the first quarter of the new financial year.
Hasbro's Success with Magic: The Gathering
Asmodee is not the only company benefiting from the strength of trading card games. Hasbro, whose "Magic: The Gathering" cards Asmodee distributes, in July reported a 27% revenue boost from the card game in its Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming unit.
Increasing Player Engagement
Both Asmodee and Hasbro noted an increase in player engagement with trading cards in their respective quarterly reports.
Expanding Distribution and Strategic Acquisitions
Key Trading Card Game Titles Distributed by Asmodee
Stockholm-listed Asmodee also distributes Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh and One Piece trading cards.
Recent Deals and Acquisitions
Since its spin-off from games group Embracer in February 2025, Asmodee has been steadily acquiring studios and rights to games. It signed a deal to distribute Bandai's new Naruto trading card game in July and bought board game publisher ATM Gaming in March.
(Reporting by Vera Dvorakova in Gdansk; editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
