Series of Magic: The Gathering will be entirely in CGI on Netflix

The animated adaptation of Magic: The Gathering produced by Netflix will be entirely developed with CGI technology, and will not have any elements of traditional anime. The information was confirmed by Terry Matalas, executive producer and screenwriter of the series, who revealed that the scripts for all episodes are already finalized. The production now moves on to the stages of casting and animation development.

"It's not anime, it's a huge, giant CGI festival," said Matalas.
"With Magic: The Gathering, which has all these different worlds and planes of existence to travel through, you need animation to do it, because it's prohibitively expensive to do it in a television series, unless someone invests hundreds of millions of dollars to do it."

This technical decision is directly related to the complexity of the universe of Magic, which has dozens of interdimensional planes, fantastic creatures, and epic structures that require a robust visual treatment. The use of CGI allows for a more faithful adaptation to the original material, with greater flexibility to represent the mystical and iconic visual elements of the Wizards of the Coast franchise.

Despite the progress in the creative process, the series still does not have a concrete release date. According to Matalas, fans should expect "many years" until the animation is ready to be aired. He also highlighted the involvement of Hasbro (owner of Wizards of the Coast) and praised Netflix for the collaboration:

"It's been an incredible experience, where everyone is on the same page and collaborating in a truly amazing way. I mean, it's just so easy for this not to happen."

This is not the first attempt to bring Magic: The Gathering to the screens. In 2019, Netflix had announced a series with the brothers Joe and Anthony Russo (from Avengers: Endgame), but the project ended up being restructured and underwent profound creative changes, resulting in the current version led by Terry Matalas, known for his work on Star Trek: Picard.

With over 30 years of history, Magic: The Gathering is one of the most popular card game franchises in the world, with an active player base of millions, numerous annual releases, and a strong presence in the competitive scene. The expectation for an audiovisual adaptation that respects the complex mythology and legacy of the brand is high — and the choice of a 100% CGI format indicates the intention to deliver something technically ambitious.

For now, the audience continues to await images, casting, and a more precise release window.