This might mean we won’t be using UDE for our card manufacturer.
Multiple sources are telling ICv2 that Upper Deck had a significant layoff on Thursday. Especially hard hit was the entertainment division, which has produced the company’s games and entertainment trading cards.
The flagship of that division had been, of course, the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, which Upper Deck distributed for Konami. That relationship broke down in late 2008; the resulting dispute was recently settled (see “Upper Deck and Konami Settle Lawsuit”). Upper Deck’s relationship with Blizzard, from whom it licensed World of Warcraft for the WoW TCG and CMG, recently ended as well (see “Upper Deck off WoW TCG”). Other entertainment properties, such as Huntik and Dinosaur King, have underwhelmed.
But Upper Deck also recently acquired a Marvel license, for which it has been developing both trading cards and games. No word yet on the fate of its future Marvel releases, which are eagerly awaited in some circles.
