On Monday, MTG and D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast (WotC) announced a Pride Secret Lair set, ‘Pride Across the Multiverse’. It described the MTG Secret Lair as “a celebration of the LGBTQIA2+ community’s relentless creativity”, but fans of the TCG quickly pointed out the set’s announcement and accompanying stories were blocked in several countries. WotC released a statement addressing the comments on Thursday.
The statement came via a Twitter thread titled “An update on the Pride Across the Multiverse Secret Lair Drop”. “Selling and communicating a product globally with an age rating of 13+ comes with it a variety of regional challenges that we have to navigate anew whenever we try to do something different and special”, said Wizards. “Sometimes that means we don’t get it quite right on the first pass and learn and adapt as quickly as we’re able.”
“We’re very proud of Pride Across the Multiverse, the work that the various artists, designers, and partners have done”, the thread continues, “and we want to share that joy as widely as possible”. “We also acknowledge the impact of our missteps on the LGBTQIA2S+ communities in these regions and beyond, and are actively taking steps to address processes to prevent such issues in future”. At this time, WotC has not confirmed what these steps will be.
“Our goal is to share with as many fans as we can to celebrate the pride in our diversity,” WotC adds, “and we are excited to celebrate this work with you”.
(1/5) An update on the Pride Across the Multiverse Secret Lair Drop:
Selling and communicating a product globally with an age rating of 13+ comes with it a variety of regional challenges that we have to navigate anew whenever we try to do something different and special.
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) May 5, 2022
When the Secret Lair was first announced on May 2, fans in several Latin American countries discovered two articles would redirect them to the MTG home page when clicked on. These were the set’s ‘first look’ announcement and ‘Note for a Stranger‘, a story article about MTG planeswalkers Saheeli and Huatli.
These pages have both seemingly been unblocked in several countries in this region, including Brazil, Mexico, Columbia, Peru, and Argentina. However, they appear to remain blocked in several other countries. This includes southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan. Another article from May 4, which showcases Kieran Yannon’s art for the card ‘Savour the Moment‘, also remains blocked in these countries.
For more information, check out our original story from when the MTG Pride Secret Lair was blocked. Or, for more Secret Lair sets, take a look at this MTG Secret Lair guide.