MetaZoo Games is Dead
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By: Oliver Copeland
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Today, MetaZoo Games has officially announced its closure.
The official statement came earlier today from the game’s founder, Michael Waddell: “It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that effective immediately, MetaZoo Games will be closing and shutting down all operations,” MetaZoo founder Michael Waddell wrote on the company’s Discord.
After the announcement, the official social media pages for MetaZoo Games have been deactivated.
Waddell did go on to state that he hopes the IP will live on in the future, and this is not the last time MetaZoo will be seen. Perhaps he is requesting that a new ownership take place.
Was it doomed from the start?
While we don’t often cover MetaZoo news here on Sleeve No Card Behind, our hearts go out to Waddell and the team, since shutting down a business is always heartbreaking.
But was MetaZoo ever above the water?
MetaZoo started in 2020, and it was a game with cards you could collect. The cards had pictures of creatures from stories and legends, kind of like Pokemon cards drawn by Ken Sugimori.
The game got really popular during COVID-19, especially when Steve Aoki, a DJ and music maker, joined in. But even though MetaZoo had rules for playing, it mostly got attention from people who wanted to collect the cards as an investment, like Pokémon or Magic cards.
The inspiration MetaZoo drew from was obvious to any 90s kid, as it had many stark similarities to the early days of the Pokémon TCG. While cashing in on nostalgia can give a brand a good marketing boost, it isn’t sustainable long-term.
Making room for other TCGs
MetaZoo was only one of many new TCGs to pop up out of the pandemic. Flesh and Blood was another one that is somewhat successful today and then there’s Disney’s Lorcana and the One Piece TCG that are absolutely killing it in popularity.
MetaZoo was a fresh IP and it didn’t have deep roots like Disney’s Lorcana, for example.
Final Thoughts
There is a lot of discussion floating around regarding the allegations and rumors of the MetaZoo TCG. Some say it was a scam from the start, but I disagree.
While I personally didn’t get into MetaZoo, I was able to witness a community form over the past few years, and it’s obvious that the game brought people together. I enjoyed the artwork and the general vibe from the cards.
I also enjoyed the Topps Chrome collaboration with MetaZoo!
So long MetaZoo.
