Tue Nov 18, 2008 — by Robert Greenberger

Upper Deck Lays Off 40

COllecitble Card Filed Suffering from Economic Woes

ICv2 reports that the slowing economy has led Upper Deck Company to lay off around 40 people last week. The cuts came from both its entertainment and sports divisions.  Coming days after the sudden closure of WizKids, the moves signal a contracting within the collectible cards field.  ICv2 also notes that “Sports card sales have reportedly been down substantially this fall, and mass market sales of trading card games have also been affected.”

While things may be tightening, others see opportunity. Alliance Game Distributors announced the other day that it will exclusively distribute Illusio, from French game publisher Funforge.  The game, with art by Julien Delval (Ticket to Ride, Witches Brew, and Pirate’s Cove), is set in 1896.  Players take the roles of magicians in competition for the title “Master of Illusion.” 
 
Illusio is for three to six players of all ages, and plays in 30-45 minutes.  The box includes 10 magician cards, 26 action cards, 64 component cards, and 32 objective cards for $24.99.
 

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