Online shopping giant eBay has been turned into a collectable card in the indie trading card game Akora. While Magic: The Gathering has featured celebrities like Post Malone on MTG cards in the past, this might be the first time we’ve seen a company (and its logo) featured on a card. The “unique promo card”, which will be available along with eBay-exclusive, limited-edition booster boxes, was announced in a press release on May 15.
Akora is a trading card game that appeared on Kickstarter in August 2021, where it raised nearly $250,000 (£200,000) to create its first card, decks, and booster boxes. According to Monday’s press release, the game’s first edition sold over 27,000 boxes, and Akora is now on its fourth expansion.
It’s this release, the Grordhelm Uprising booster box, that eBay seems keen to promote. 300 limited edition ‘Akora x eBay’ booster boxes have been produced, which feature eBay’s promo card, the ‘Mystic Merchant’. According to the press release, the card “celebrates the collaboration, paying homage to eBay bringing together the merchants of the real world”. The limited edition booster boxes are available on eBay for around $106 (£85).
Additionally, the press release says “eBay will be promoting Akora products through trusted sellers […], giving the community the chance to purchase authentic products including PSA graded cards on eBay’s global marketplace for the first time”. A handful of graded first-edition Akora cards are already available for sale.
Based on its art, logo, and accompanying manga, the game draws clear inspiration from anime. Akora’s creator, Matthew Grayson (who goes by Xion), runs Akora TCG Ltd from Stoke-On-Trent, England. The press release says he created Akora while working as an emergency response officer, and it’s based on a story he’d written as a teenager.
For other trading card game releases, here’s everything you need to know about the MTG 2023 release schedule. We can also give you the low-down on rare Pokémon cards and the most expensive YuGiOh cards.
Source: Wargamer
