Pixelborn, a trading card game simulator that allows Lorcana players to fine-tune their skills and strategies, is shut down. The Walt Disney Company and Lorcana’s publisher, Ravensburger, pulled the “intellectual property” card.
The Pixelborn’s developer, Pavel Kolev, shared on Discord, X, and Reddit the news that Disney was shutting the platform down:
In the statement, Pavel relays that Disney has flexed its legal muscle, and the team will comply:
“Earlier this month, Disney representatives contacted me. I was advised that ‘Disney has intellectual property rights in the Disney Lorcana cards and that Disney has requested Pixleborn to respect these rights by not copying the cards or in any way suggesting an affiliation with Disney’.
Pixelborn will cease operating sometime before June 16. Although there may be workarounds, the Mouse will no doubt be persistent in shuttering any variants of the Lorcana digital dojo.
In a bit of silver lining, Pixelborn’s Discord will remain alive for the time being:
“The Pixelborn Discord server will remain a safe and welcoming place to discuss everything Lorcana.“
This blow appears to have affected Pavel deeply:
“My heart is shattered to pieces. I’ve put everything in this project for the past year and a half. Every night, weekend, and holiday. I know it meant a lot for many people as the only way to experience the game we all love. I genuinely believe Ravensburger is the best company that could have developed and now supports the game. The past weekend proves that Lorcana has a bright future.“
According to the developer’s X account, the platform was quite popular, hosting millions of games being played by users:
1 year ago, Pixelborn was released.
The rest is… madness.6 500 000+ games played
$60 000+ donated to charities
5000+ Patrons
70 000+ on Discord (3rd largest TCG discord, beating HS)#Pixelborn #Lorcana— Pavel Kolev (@PavelKolev7) May 6, 2024
OK, I understand that The Walt Disney Company needed to do this to protect its intellectual property. However, the popularity of Pixelborn shows that players want a digital space to practice and learn.
Will Disney take the hint and create such a space?
[Source: Reddit]
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