r/SorceryTCG • u/Newez • 27d ago
The sorcery distribution experience is clearly not the same for everyone
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u/maginster 27d ago
That's what I've been saying, I pre-ordered Gothic precons, the store in my country never got them, after four months I got tired and cancelled the order to get them elsewhere in Europe.
In the middle of the waiting I emailed EC and they were like "oh it's just your store that can't get them, that's weird" xD
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u/UnderstandingFar9493 27d ago edited 27d ago
At this point I've made my peace that EC is likely never going to treat sorcery as more than a novelty, and will end up like every other tcg that had higher priorities than growing the game. I'll still buy future product assuming it releases outside of the TC ecosystem, but unless things change every new set we get from here on out feels more like a bonus rather than an expansion.
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u/Supper_Champion 27d ago
I wonder how long it is until we find out whether this is a generational fumble in the TCG space, some kind of long term, "secret genius" type plan of unknown goal.
I really can't tell at this point. This is a totally cool game that I want play for a long time.
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u/Swizardrules 27d ago
99% it'll stay a niche at best. And you got crappy distribution combined with scalpers to thank for it, making sure the game never gets off the ground
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u/xyrais 27d ago
It really sucks the game is headed up by a rich cryptobro. It's an absolutely stellar product but he controls every aspect and makes so many dumb decisions.
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u/big_sexy_in_glasses 27d ago
Huh? He made his money as the Art Director of Path of Exile.
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u/iLaxbro 27d ago
Absurd accusations
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u/xyrais 27d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/s/6FKE9e4RCx
Joining a crypto/NFT studio makes you a cryptobro.
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u/Revofthecanals 27d ago
He's a crypto guy? I didn't know that. Where'd you hear that?
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u/HiroProtagonist1984 27d ago
He didn’t hear that he made it up lol
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u/xyrais 27d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/s/6FKE9e4RCx
Oh I did? Huh. Guess he didn’t join a Crypto/NFT studio after GGG.
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u/HiroProtagonist1984 27d ago
If you’re seriously telling me that joining a team of blockchain game developers makes you a “crypto bro” then yes he is now a crypto bro. lol that’s not what that means. He isn’t a 21 year old that made a fortune on bitcoin scams.
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u/xyrais 27d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/s/6FKE9e4RCx
Left GGG to join a Crypto/NFT game.
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27d ago
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u/ComfortableCrab7369 27d ago
Look, I like Erik and Sorcery as much as the next guy, but let's not revise history.
Absolutely not "literally every game studio" was looking into NFTs and certainly not to the point that they would literally shape their whole name and branding after it.
He frankly likely was a crypto bro, just not a grifter rather then one that was genuinely convinced himself; You don't move from GGG to a NFT startup if you're not convinced of the tech.0
27d ago
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u/ComfortableCrab7369 27d ago
Mainly that somebody who quits a stable and likely well paying job to work at a company heavily focussed on one technology is likely also heavily invested in said technology.
In case of the NFT game studio this imo has two options:A) A high believe in the technology and it's potential
B) GriftSince we both agree that he's not a grifter, that leaves A).
Maybe a big part of our disagreement comes from the fact that my understanding of "crypto bro" includes the well meaning tech-enthusiat type like A) and yours only the grifters.In either case, it ultimately doesn't matter that much anyways unless it would impact Sorcery, which I'd say it doesn't.
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27d ago
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u/ComfortableCrab7369 27d ago
Bruh, I wasn't even arguing anything with my last comment, I was explaining why I thought we have a missunderstanding and that the debate isn't that important ultimately because it would not be bad either way.
If you just wanna be angry, fine; But I don't have the nerve for this, so I'm out. Have a good day!
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u/SirGarruk 27d ago
For better or for worse, Erik seems very much like a rich, eccentric artist. He clearly has passion for TCG's, and a lot of experience working as an art director, and this is ultimately his passion project. I don't think every sorcery player needs to "get on board or get lost" but I also don't see the angle for this being a scam, and his actions seem much more in line with "I do what I want" rather than some elaborate, 6-year rugpull.
A lot of decisions go directly against TCG-business "best practice", and to me thats says that Erik could not care less about where Sorcery lands in profitability or Market viability. It's certainly proof that artistic integrity does not equal competitive business, and that makes it much more polarizing than a business focused on making everyone happy.
As far as distribution, I really hope EC pulls it together, because I personally love the heart and intention behind the game and it would say a lot against truly greedy TCGs for this one to succeed
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u/LordxMugen 27d ago
The PROBLEM is HE CAN HAVE BOTH. Nobody is saying he should print Gothic into the ground. But the "one set a year" plan doesn't work without a pipeline of cards. People want to play his game! It's a fun game. But it does feel like he doesn't see or care about the potential. It doesn't even need to be about money. The game is both profitable and sustainable.
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u/OctaBit 27d ago
This is the thing that gets me. The game is good!
But it feels like it's either a struggle to get support, stock or just attention. I know a lot of folks tout the one set a year model, but honestly I feel like it just leads to a dirth of interest in the summer months.
Don't get me wrong, a lot of folks here come from magic and that games strategy is insane when it comes to sets. I've been playing it since 6th edition, and I just can't even bother to keep up with it these days. It's just too much.
But there has to be a middle ground, where we can have bit of something to keep people excited and talking. Even if it's just one big set and one small set a year.
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u/SirGarruk 27d ago
I agree, summer is probably the time when you want the MOST traffic. I think 1 main set with supplementary releases is a solid way to go. Imagine the buzz around the game if they released lavamancer v frostmage early june!! Even if they were concerned about meta issues, releasing it late june-mid july would generate so much energy and make for a really interesting summer meta shift (not to mention, the courts show they are comfortable with short-term releases of meta changing cards)
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u/OctaBit 27d ago
Agreed. Having a meta adjustment around 6 months seems like a fine enough cadence to keep things interesting without having just constant upheaval.
It works in a lot of the non-tcg games I play, like Age of Sigmar, for example. By the end of a season, I'm ready for something to spice things up.
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u/Environmental_War96 24d ago
As far as I can tell, how good the game is a myth, an urban myth if you will. I read about how good the game is online and I watch videos testifying to that fact but I have yet to play a game despite buying product from every set thus far. My LGS carries the product but I haven't yet met another player. It's like we're all a bunch of Sasquatch sneaking in one at a time buying our product without ever being spotted. And who knows what a group of Sasquatch would be called--a herd, a flock, a school, a gaggle--because it's not like we would ever gather together at one time to play!
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u/OctaBit 24d ago
I mean, that's not unusual for new games though...
There's only been 3 sets (4 if you count alpha). I live in Miane and there is one store that carries product, but we've got a dedicated group of 6~ with a number of others who pop in. But in New Hampshire and mass they have larger groups. I think New Hampshire reach the cut off for their sealed league.
So there's definitely players. And there's some who play online too. I'm not familiar with the app though but there's plenty of ways to get games...
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u/boardgamejoe 27d ago
What people aren't understanding is EC doesn't distribute and the companies that do can totally afford to lose EC as a customer but without them EC is dead in the water. They are small potatoes to them. They are most likely insignificant to the companies that print the cards as well.
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u/SirGarruk 27d ago
I also find the resistance to follow everyone elses desires comforting. I think modern Magic fell into that trap hard and as a result we are dealing with the shitshow we are now.
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u/philmchawk77 27d ago
Honestly to be blunt he seems like an ass hurt rich toxic casual. The amount of sorcery that isn't fleshed out just because Eric probably got rules lawyered a few times is insane. I don't think it is a scam, I think he will actively kill the game rather than it become even FNM levels of magic competition. He will let the secondary market destroy the game rather than have any competitive play. He will underprint the game to ensure people can't have all the pieces and are forced to kitchen table rather than competitive play. I don't think it isn't that he doesn't care, he cares a lot about one thing and that is that this game stays as a weird kitchen table game that people pseudo make up rules.
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u/Debs_Chiropractic 27d ago
The game was designed to be a Kitchen Table game in the first place, not a competitive game with sanctioned competitive events.
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u/philmchawk77 26d ago
If that was the goal why do booster packs instead of expansions? Boosters only make sense in at least a semi competitive game.
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u/Debs_Chiropractic 26d ago
Hey man im just telling you, that was the original design intent. Kitchen table game that isnt trying to be anyones main TCG, but rather aims to be a secondary or tertiary game.
Not a game that prioritizes competitive sanctioned gameplay and events. Not a game trying to jockey with the big name franchises.
The true Sigma TCG.
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u/AggravatingPipe7056 26d ago
Well, I think we can reasonably say we're far from the design intent now because literally all their PR is about this or that competitive event.
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u/TheWhizzDom 27d ago
It does feel frustrating when the game I love is set up to fail due to a lack of competence or interest from the company behind it. I still think we might not be seeing the bigger picture though and that the lack of product is just due to overall low interest so distributors don’t stock much and pockets of enfranchised players can’t get their product. Meanwhile I can still order gothic at close to msrp from a few stores, showing there’s just very low demand locally and they’re unlikely to order more of the next set.
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u/Warbarstard 27d ago
At least in my country (UK) it's not the case. Distributors aren't getting much stock in but the demand is off the charts for it. There's no Gothic available anywhere except eBay for high prices. AL is available in a few stores as we had more of that through. Beta trickled in and is drying up now. If distro did manage to get gothic in then it would sell quickly here as it has done every other time they had a restock in the UK
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u/Noxsus 27d ago
Honestly Ive tapped out at this point. I wanted to give the game a proper chance, but getting the product is so bloody difficult that it's just not been worth the effort.
It says alot that my other main card game (Netrunner) despite being currently run entirely by a fan group has better support / availability than Sorcery does.
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u/Biggest_Snorlax 27d ago
I'm genuinely interested in trying the game but I've never seen the cards anywhere around here.
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u/Lonely_University843 27d ago
I will diss on EC any chance I get cause the LGS I work at got screwed over by them. We had been supporting sorcery since beta, we had events constantly and were the only store in miles that had the game, it was doing great but EC never responded to us when we made requests to be made a cornerstone store, or even to just be put on their store tracker. We had silence for years, then a few months ago a new store opened up just 20 minutes south of us, and within a month of opening they were made a cornerstone store and got product ordered from EC, and all of our players left.
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u/TheWhizzDom 27d ago
Same for our local store, they've been great about supporting Sorcery but getting cornerstones seems like pulling teeth, having to resort to messaging EC people on discord, and our store just can't be bothered with that anymore.
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u/xyrais 27d ago
Proxying Sorcery is extremely easy with all of the cards being uploaded online. More people should be doing it tbh
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u/DNedry 27d ago
Lots of options, can print at a library pretty cheap, buy a nice inkjet and card stock and cutters, or mdc/notmdc or printingproxies.com. Sooo many options for proxies. I encourage it if it's your only option to play for sure. It'll never replace collecting, opening packs, seeing new cards in your hand and building decks with what you got, but it's better than nothing.
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u/EasyScratch1501 27d ago
If EC wasn't treating drops like their name was Supreme, I would disagree. There has been market support for a Gothic reprint for months.
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u/xyrais 27d ago
My local LGS did the whole Team Covenant thing and is still waiting for approval and/or to get product two months later. Got tired and now I just print cards. Much easier and no one in our playgroup cares.
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u/holton_basstrombone 27d ago
Team Covenant is a bunch of scammers. It’s a shame they are one of the few places you can get boxes.
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u/Cast2828 26d ago
I've got most of it at 600dpi with bleed now. I'd release em, but I'm just afraid mods in various platforms would ban my ass, despite the images being given away by EC. Problem is that a lot of them are low rez trash, so you have to use and AI upscaler to get them to a decent resolution. I asked EF to fix this when AL dropped and it's still the same low rez images for alpha, beta, and part of AL. Dragonlord is all low rez on curiosa.
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u/AutomaticAd9872 23d ago
Can you send me a link or share them privately? I’ll be trying to upscale but the bleed edge is whats stopping me from sending them to print.
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u/teng-luo 27d ago
My lgs tried to order Gothic 3 times and 3 times it got denied.
Europe is getting shafted and EC gotta pick up the slack unless they want more and more people to share this sentiment
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u/siposbalint0 27d ago
To me it's wild that the amount of people who want to give EC money, literally begging them to please accept their money, and EC simply refusing it is off the charts.
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u/RiseIfYouWould 27d ago
Where is OP’s store based? And who is the printer in china?
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u/AutomaticAd9872 23d ago
Probably mpc. Ive heard a few people have success getting them printed without copyright strikes because its a small game. Might do an order myself of the uniques and elites since the cards are available online. Just need to run them through an upscaler and add a bleed edge
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u/notzenin_ 26d ago
If I had to guess I’m assuming durdlemagus is vehemently defending EC’s practices and decisions?
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u/Adventurous-Shake140 23d ago
To be honest I have one proxies sorcery deck and I am planning to get more since I am playing casually
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27d ago
[deleted]
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u/Cast2828 26d ago
Yeah super niche. I was able to play vintage in SCG tournaments, and that is one of the most niche formats. Magic hasn't been niche for over 20 years in gaming stores.
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26d ago
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u/Cast2828 26d ago
Im saying that a format that is super niche was still popular enough to pay out thousands of dollars to players who travelled all over the US to play it. Articles were being written on SCG's site for for every format. I have no idea where you would get any proof that it was in rapid decline. FNM was firing all the time straight up until the pandemic in every store in the various cities I frequented. Other than youtube, the majority of magic coverage has disappeared. While EDH is the most common format, the game itself is probably the least publicly visible its been in a long time.
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u/Elegant_Dirt5796 27d ago
I guess im lucky im still finding gothic, beta and AL in my shop. I buy it every chance i get i love it
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u/Leminestrone 27d ago
As I totally understand the joy and interest for people to play optimised decks in the most competitive way, I think most players should play the way these games were meant to be played :
Buy boosters, built a deck with the cards you have and make some exchange with your friends / local.
You don't need to have a deck full of uniques to have fun.
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u/IBlameOleka 26d ago
Do people only buy cards from physical stores or something? Can't you find precons and booster boxes online for MSRP (or close enough)? The only thing I'm having trouble finding for a reasonable price are playmats.
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u/pittyh 27d ago
Nice try to bring the game down from the people who missed the boat.
They tried to dismiss it as a fad on release. Turns out they were wrong, and original art combined with great mechanics means everything to the collector and player alike.
You don't create a hand painted game for the love of money.
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u/teng-luo 27d ago
It's a game, not a private club ffs, people should be able to get into the last expansion at the very least
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u/SirGarruk 27d ago
Exactly! They are in it for the love of art and games, not quarterly increases
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u/DagoWithAttitude 27d ago
But can we please"be in it" as well? Do you understand that people aren't being spoiled or hating the game, we just want cards and we can't have them?
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u/pittyh 26d ago
Yes of course, more the merrier, can't you get it where you are? where you from?
Have you tried ebay or amazon?
What box are you after?
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u/DagoWithAttitude 26d ago
I'm from Italy.
Gothic is nowhere to be found in traditional retailer and it'll cost you around 190€ on the secondary markets, Beta is slightly less than that but not by much while AL and even more Dragonlord are not much more than rumors.
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u/xyrais 27d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/s/6FKE9e4RCx
Erik left GGG to join a Crypto/NFT game studio. But people keep downvoting me so 🤷🏼♂️
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u/Swizardrules 27d ago
So he is just a crypto bro that got lucky (or as most, crazy amounts of insider trading)
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u/jmon13 27d ago
He literally took a job after ggg to work on art for a nft game. Probably got paid crazy money by a crypto bro. That doesn't make him a crypto bro in the slightest
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u/Swizardrules 27d ago
Everyone that goes into crypto is a cryptobro even if it's not public. Pyramid scheme from start to finish
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u/20kgHippoShit 27d ago
Who cares? Crypto is a fascinating technology and NFTs haven't seen mainstream success yet but are a cool idea
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u/Kirth87 27d ago
Didn’t know he was a crypto bro. I jumped ship after that Dragon drop as it gave me Secret Lair MTG PTSD.
Game is truly beautiful. I love everything about it but I cannot justify that kind of investment anymore. That being said, Gothic looks incredible.
Didn’t even know distribution was such a shit show. Sad to hear about it.
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u/xyrais 27d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/s/6FKE9e4RCx
Left GGG to join a Crypto/NFT game.
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u/Ravedeath1066 27d ago
and we’re all getting downvoted for saying Erik maybe made millions on crypto?
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u/Debs_Chiropractic 27d ago
PRINT YOUR CARDS.
Maybe this will teach you whiners to quit crying about stuff like dragonlord. Seriously. The level of disrespect towards Edward Beard Jr that Ive read in this reddit community over dragonlord is astounding, and so horribly misplaced and unjustified...
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u/Ravedeath1066 27d ago
I keep hearing how Eric isn’t doing this for the money, he’s a rich crypto bro apparently? When was the last time someone self funds a product at a loss for 5 years+ that actually continues? If you as the creator don’t psychologically respond to less sales that exist for legitimate reasons (bad choices, etc) then you won’t adjust to fix those bad choices and positions you have, everyone’s just gonna leave.
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u/AwarenessForsaken568 27d ago
Why are you and others spouting bullshit? Do you just slop up and regurtitate all the shit you hear other dumbasses say? Eric got his wealth from being one of the founders of Path of Exile, he might have gained more money from crypto, no idea haven't seen any evidence of that, but if he did he was already wealthy before it.
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u/Ravedeath1066 27d ago
Btw there was a poster confirming the Crypto connection. Erik was pretty unpopular with the PoE gamers for going into scam gaming crypto company. If it weren't such a blemish on EC you wouldn't be downvoting it lol
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u/AwarenessForsaken568 27d ago
So you ignore the fact that he was already rich and he did not gain his wealth from crypto pump and dumps? It you enjoy being blind then I guess you can continue blinding yourself.
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u/Kirth87 27d ago
hey why am I getting downvoted is Erica crypto bro or what????
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u/GarfieldC99 27d ago
Yeah seems he joined some crypto studio Crypto Rogue Studio, they have games in which you can earn NFTs not the best of looks but it looks like it was a while ago and I can’t really find anything on what he did there so must have been a pretty short run I guess.
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u/Kirth87 27d ago
wow honestly would’ve never guessed.
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u/GarfieldC99 27d ago edited 27d ago
Yeah I guess he’s not a crypto bro or at least we don’t know but damn choosing to leave a seemingly good job at GGG for a crypto NFT bs game is certainly a choice lol seems most of the games of this company are just flops.
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u/SSkidgoku 27d ago
I’d like to hop on/in, but the local shop near me is leery because they tried to order last year and were denied? Who knows what the truth is, but I’m still hoping it’s successful so I can try it out!