Wizards of The Coast, developers of the popular card gameMagic: The Gathering, have cut ties with the artist Noah Bradly after a number of sexual misconduct allegations against the artist on Twitter.
There is no in-house team of artists forMagic: The Gathering,instead, Wizards has a stable of freelancers that it pulls from depending on the aesthetic needs of a card. Bradley was one of those freelancers, and in recent years had become one of the more popularMagicartists, known for his vivid colors and evocative imagery.
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Allegations against Bradley first publicly surfaced on Twitter this weekend, and by Monday he was out. In an official statement, Wizards said that they are “cutting ties with Noah” meaning that it will “no longer commission artwork from him,” and “will remove reprints of his work from our products.” However, because of the timeframe of card production, there will still be some Bradley art inupcomingMagicsets.
Bradley made a public apology on Twitter before Wizards made its official announcement. In the post, he admitted to being “terrible to women,” and described himself as a “creepy, sexual predator.” Many fans have been hesitant to accept his apology, noting its lack of any real specifics or accountability. There has also been an old post of Noah’s circulating Twitter, in which he illustrated the “48 Laws of Power,” a disturbing guide on how to manipulate people. One of the rules is “Surrender to Recover” which has led to further doubt of any actual remorse.
This isn’t the first time that a leading figure in theMagicworld has been accused of sexual assault. While the situation is obviously horrible, there has been a positive reaction to Wizard’s quick and transparent response. Noah was fired within two days of the allegations coming to light, showing that Wizards takes accusations like this very seriously.
The announcement to cut ties with Bradley comes days after Wizard’s decision to banseven racistMagiccards from competitive play. There have been many calls for Wizards to work harder to make theMagicinto a safer place for both women and gamers of color. While there is still much work to be done, cutting ties with Bradly is a good start.
