Wizards of the Coast, the company behind some of the largest trading card and tabletop game brands in the world, has been out of many fans' good graces recently thanks to its controversial efforts to restrict fan-created content related to Dungeons and Dragons. A recent controversy in which the publisher supposedly employed the centuries-old security firm the Pinkertons to intimidate a Magic the Gathering card leaker will likely only make their reputation worse.
Recently, YouTuber Oldschoolmtg got his hands on Magic's March of the Machines set, which is set to formerly be revealed at the beginning of May. He leaked the set in a series of unboxing YouTube videos late last week, and yesterday, provided an update in which he alleged Wizards of the Coast sent the Pinkertons to his house to confiscate the deck.
While the use of the Pinkertons, known in the modern era for their union and strike-busting efforts, is certainly an eye-catching allegation from Oldschoolmtg, the situation appears to have resolved peacefully.
The YouTuber complied and insisted he hadn't stolen the cards but received them by mistake. He says the cards were sent to him by a friend, and Wizards of the Coast apparently agreed that some internal error resulted in the cards ending up in his hands. He says the company and him also discussed some compensation for the incident.
Nevertheless, the fact Wizards of the Coast employed such a controversial security firm to go after a leaker for children's trading cards stuck many as excessive and even villainous, leading to a very negative PR cycle for the company online.
The Magic set is due to reveal in a week, but at this point, the PR around it seems threatened to be overshadowed by the fact its parent company employed the Pinkertons to go after a YouTube leaker.
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