TL;DR: On April 23, Hasbro released preliminary Q1 2026 figures well above expectations, and it's almost entirely Magic the Gathering that's responsible. The group announced quarterly revenue of $970 to $985 million, up 9 to 11% year-over-year, against the backdrop of a cyberattack that forced the full release to be postponed to May 20. For players, two signals: Wizards of the Coast is more than ever Hasbro's golden goose — so Magic isn't about to slow down — but this dependency is accelerating an already very busy Universes Beyond pipeline for 2026.
Q1 2026: Magic Saves the Day for Hasbro Despite the Cyberattack
On April 23, 2026, Hasbro did something unusual: release partial quarterly results. The reason: a cyberattack detected on March 28, 2026 disrupted the group's internal systems and forced the full release to be postponed to May 20. To reassure the markets, Hasbro provided a preliminary range — and the main message is clear.
Q1 2026 revenue is expected between $970 and $985 million, or 9 to 11% above Q1 2025. That's also about 7 to 8% above analyst consensus, which targeted around $909 million. Even more telling: expected operating profit is between $235 and $245 million, up 38 to 44% year-over-year. Margin growth of this magnitude, in a quarter marked by a cyberattack, is only possible if one of the segments is pulling very hard.
That segment is Wizards of the Coast — and more specifically Magic. Hasbro specifies that shipments were not disrupted by the incident, and confirms that Lorwyn Eclipsed became the fastest-selling Magic premier IP set of all time in its own words. The rollout of Secrets of Strixhaven in early April extends this momentum into the second quarter.
+59% in 2025: Why Magic Has Become THE Hasbro Product
To understand the importance of Q1 2026, you have to look at what happened in 2025. The year was historic for Magic: +59% in annual revenue, and a Q4 2025 up 141% compared to Q4 2024. The two drivers identified by Hasbro are the Avatar: The Last Airbender and Final Fantasy sets, two Universes Beyond collaborations that attracted well beyond the usual player base.
At the Wizards of the Coast level (which includes Magic, D&D, and digital), the group generated $2.2 billion in revenue in 2025, up 45%. Above all, Wizards now represents about 90% of Hasbro's total operating profit. In other words: almost all the money Hasbro earns comes from Magic and its cousins. Nerf, Play-Doh, licensed toys — these have become marginal in terms of profit.
On the ecosystem side, the Wizards Play Network passed the 10,000-store mark at the end of 2025 (+20% in a year), and more than a million players participate in organized play (+22%). Hasbro maintains for 2026 a forecast of mid-single-digit Wizards growth and an adjusted operating margin of 24 to 25% — a cautious projection after an atypical 2025, but still well above the group's other divisions.
Universes Beyond, Growth Engine — and Fracture Line
The success of Avatar and Final Fantasy settled an internal debate at Wizards: Universes Beyond is now central, no longer an experiment. According to EDHREC, Avatar may even have become one of the three best Magic sets of all time in terms of sales — a figure to be taken with caution since not independently confirmed by Hasbro.
The 2026-2027 calendar confirms the acceleration: after Lorwyn Eclipsed and Secrets of Strixhaven (the two "classic" Magic sets of early 2026), the announced pipeline includes The Hobbit, Star Trek, Marvel Super Heroes and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The latter is releasing this year with a complete assortment: displays, bundles and a dedicated Commander.
For the community, this confirms a fracture already visible since Lord of the Rings: some players embrace the pop-culture pivot, others regret the dilution of the game's visual identity. Hasbro is settling the matter with its numbers — as long as Universes Beyond sets perform, their pace won't slow down. "Magic-native" sets like Lorwyn or Strixhaven remain on the calendar, but they are no longer the sole locomotive.
What This Concretely Changes for the Collector
Three practical implications for players.
1. Long-term stability. When 90% of a publicly traded group's profit comes from a single product, that product is protected. Magic will neither disappear, nor be discounted, nor see its tournament support reduced — quite the opposite, in fact. For anyone investing time and money in a collection or a competitive Commander deck, this is an important signal: the ecosystem (WPN, distribution, organized play) is growing, not shrinking.
2. Calendar saturation. With so many sets over 12 months — Standard, Universes Beyond, dedicated Commander, Secret Lairs — it's becoming impossible to collect everything. Making choices is becoming the norm, not the exception. Players who want to stay current on a specific format (Modern, Commander, Standard) should target the sets relevant to their game rather than being driven by the marketing calendar.
3. Protecting what you buy is more important than ever. Universes Beyond sets, particularly Collector Boosters, often contain cards with more limited print runs than classic sets — so more sensitive to preservation. Proper sleeving and adapted storage are no longer optional on this type of product. Our complete guide to protecting your foil collection and toploader details the best practices.
Key Takeaways
Hasbro Q1 2026 confirms what 2025 had already hinted at: Magic is no longer just one product among others in the group's portfolio, it's the product. The final figures will be released on May 20, but the trajectory is clear. The real question for the coming months is no longer "is Magic doing well" — it's whether the current pace of Universes Beyond releases is sustainable on the community side, and whether Magic-native sets will keep their place despite the commercial pressure of collaborations.
Sources: Hasbro delays Q1 results after cyber attack — Boardgame Wire, Record Magic the Gathering success powered Hasbro to $4.7bn revenue for 2025 — Boardgame Wire, Hasbro Reports $900M+ in Q1 Revenue Thanks to MTG — Draftsim, What Hasbro's Q1 2026 Report Means for Magic — EDHREC.
