The Gathering Documentary to Premiere at Gen Con

“Igniting The Spark – The Story of Magic: The Gathering,” a feature documentary sharing the history and cultural impact of the eponymous card game will premiere at Gen Con in Indianapolis on Aug. 2 before becoming available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play and cable providers worldwide on Aug. 5.

“Igniting The Spark” sets out to reveal how Magic: The Gathering became such a global phenomenon. Through archival footage, the film dives into elusive gaming vaults and offers interviews with professional players, collectors, historians, cosplayers, gaming executives and more. It features Magic creator Richard Garfield and Wizards of the Coast gaming company founder Peter Adkison. The film also explores how the game evolved from its humble roots to become a multi-billion-dollar property at Hasbro and a cherished cultural touchstone for millions of players around the world.

The documentary comes from The Nacelle Company, the studio behind pop-culture docuseries “The Toys That Made Us,” “Icons Unearthed” and “Disney’s Behind The Attraction.” Brian Stillman and Kelley Slagle direct the film while Seth Polansky produces. The trio previously collaborated with the Nacelle Company to explore an iconic game in 2019’s “Eye of the Beholder: The Art of Dungeons & Dragons.”

Nacelle CEO Brian Volk-Weiss states, “‘Magic: The Gathering’ is a cultural phenomenon that has truly stood the test of time. Brian Stillman, Kelley Slagle and Seth Polansky do an incredible job at telling the rich history of the game in this doc, and we’re more than excited to finally be releasing it for the world to see.”