Wizards of the Coast announced the return of WPN Play Metrics for Magic: The Gathering events, which will happen on March 1, 2024.
WPN Play Metrics were suspended as a way of determining promo and product allocations in Q1 2020 (see “Wizards of the Coast Adds Coronavirus Accommodations“). WotC attempted to restart this system in 2021 with a grace period for the numbers determining allocations (see “Use of WPN Play Metrics“), but the grace period never really ended. Three years later, that grace period seems to be to coming to a close.
In March 2024, WPN Play will enter a whole new era compared to prior to the suspension of the use of metrics in 2020. Back in 2020, stores were still using Wizards Event Reporter (see “Switching to Wizards EventLink “). These days retailers have been using Wizards Eventlink and the MTG Companion App (see “MTG Companion App“) for a couple of years. When Play Metrics reboots in March, all events reported through Eventlink, including Webcam and At-Home events, will count towards play metrics.
The Play Metrics tracked will be Tickets, Engaged Players, and Activated Players. The minimum to remain part of the WPN network will be 250 Tickets and 5 Engaged Players annually, which breaks down to hosting an event a week with a minimum of five players (on average). WPN Premium stores will need to hit a mark of 1,500 Tickets, 30 Engaged Players, and 10 Activated Players annually. Stores will be e-mailed on November 1, 2023 by the WPN team if they do not currently meet those metrics, and given 90 days to get up to speed before being removed from the WPN in March.
Source: ICV2
