Brand Profile - Konami

Legends are reborn this month in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG

In February 2024, the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game officially celebrates its 25th anniversary. It’s been an incredible two and a half decades; as a cultural behemoth, the property has been a mainstay of modern multimedia since Yu-Gi-Oh!’s inception in 1999.

The manga and anime began life in Japan before finding millions of ardent fans across the globe, and there are now more than 900 Yu-Gi-Oh! anime episodes as well as three movie releases. Digital Yu-Gi-Oh! card games have also been phenomenally successful. Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links has achieved more than 150m downloads while Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel reached the 50m download mark within just its first year.

Of course, physical card games remain core to the brand. The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG has sold billions upon billions of cards, and hundreds of different associated products and accessories are now available. That the TCG has continued to thrive underlines just how much the players around the world love to duel. Today, the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG is available across the globe, with products distributed in more than 80 countries and nine languages for fans of all backgrounds and ages to enjoy.

Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. says much of this success is down to the passion of the duelists themselves, who have continued to be the heart of the card game for nearly 25 years. The company remains committed to showing its gratitude via a pipeline of new and exciting product launches, events and activations.

Celebrating history with the Legendary Collection: 25th Anniversary Edition

To commemorate 25 years of Dueling, Konami is planning a year of celebrations ahead of the card game’s official 25th anniversary on 4th February 2024. This will include the release of commemorative products and a variety of other promotions.

One of those commemorative products has already been revealed and is scheduled for release later this month. Appropriately, the Legendary Collection: 25th Anniversary Edition celebrates the long and beloved history of the YuGi-Oh! TCG. The Legendary Collection: 25th Anniversary Edition contains six Booster Packs, six Ultra Rare Cards and a special bonus card. It also heralds the return of the very first Legendary Collection, first released in October 2010 and now reborn ready to celebrate the 25th anniversary.

The first Legendary Collection lived up to its name. Highly regarded by fans, it packaged together popular Booster Packs from the early years of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG in one set. Indeed, it was such a hit with fans that Konami rereleased it years later complete with a special double-sided game board. Now back for 2023, the Legendary Collection: 25th Anniversary Edition is once again a must-have product for every Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG fan.

Introducing the Quarter Century Secret Rare

One of the major additions to the Legendary Collection: 25th Anniversary Edition is the brand-new Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG rarity - the Quarter Century Secret Rare. Created specifically for the 25th anniversary celebrations, the Quarter Century Secret Rare design is stunning, and fans are bound to be impressed.

Each box not only includes six special variant Ultra Rare cards but also a bonus seventh Quarter Century Secret Rare, making it the first set to feature one. These special variant cards are some of the most famous within the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. They include Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Dark Magician and Red-Eyes Black Dragon, as well the highly sought-after Egyptian God Card Promos: Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and The Winged Dragon of Ra. For Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG duelists, and especially those who consider themselves collectors, getting hold of these Quarter Century Secret Rare cards is an unmissable element of the fandom.

Bringing back classic Booster Packs

The first Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Booster Pack, Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon, was first released in 2002. It’s one of the six classic Booster Packs included in the Legendary Collection: 25th Anniversary Edition. By bringing them together once again, Konami is celebrating the history of Yu-Gi-Oh! across not only the card games but the anime too.

Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon, for example, includes iconic cards that starred in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime such as Exodia the Forbidden One, which famously featured in the climax of the very first episode of the Yu-GiOh! anime. This episode was officially released on YouTube six years ago and has racked up nearly 10m views since then. For the millions of fans who grew up with Yu-Gi-Oh!, these classic Booster Packs hold a special place in their memories.

The six Booster Packs are Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon, Spell Ruler, Dark Crisis, Pharoah’s Servant, Invasion of Chaos and Metal Raiders, some of the most popular Booster Packs from the early era of the Yu-GI-Oh! TCG. The Legendary Collection: 25th Anniversary Edition gives fans another opportunity to acquire these highly coveted packs.

Whether they’re a die-hard collector, a passionate duelist or someone who fell in love with Yu-Gi-Oh! some 25 years ago, the Legendary Collection: 25th Anniversary Edition will hold a special appeal among consumers by offering something for everyone. The Legendary Collection: 25th Anniversary Edition will release across Europe on 20th April 2023. For more details, visit the Yu-Gi-Oh! website. There are plenty of other exciting things on the way as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations. Konami is looking forward to revealing and showcasing more of the impressive Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG products still to arrive during this momentous year for the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game.