Before you ever heard of NFTs , maybe you heard about the$225 jpeg of Han Solo . Back in 2015,I wrote an article about a Han Solo cardworth over $ 200 in an app called Star Wars Card Trader by Topps . At the clock time , I drop most of the clause explicate how a soul could own something that they merely have on their phone . It was not easy .
tight - forward seven years . Digital commodity are mainstream , Star Warsis openhanded than ever , and Star Wars Card Trader is still going strong . Oh , sure , now Topps is owned by Fanatics and there surely are not as many dynamic users as back in 2015 , but there are hundreds if not thousands of firm substance abuser who log on every day to open up packs , trade , and drop money ondigital Star Wars board .
I should know . I ’m one of them . After two years out of the app from 2018 - 2020,I plunk back in hard during the pandemic . I pore my collection andthings got very wacky . I also ended up joining Facebook and Discord radical about the app where every day , sports fan analyze every small thing that happens with new releases . So , whenStar Wars Celebration rolled aroundlast month , was I go to seize the chance to talk to a few peoplewho really work on Star Wars Card Traderabout those things ? Of course I was .
This poster by artist Gabz is an award card coming soon to Star Wars Card Trader by Topps.Image: Gabz/Bottleneck/Lucasfilm
What follows are the edited highlighting of that give-and-take with Card Trader ’s lead clothes designer Brandon Bernard and mental object producer Lisa Granshaw . But beware , if you do n’t know what “ dupes for needs ” means , the difference between a Legendary or an Uncommon , or what 54321 is , this is not for you . This is deep , nerdy asshole for a select few . My people .
What are the conversations like about having the app be friendly to both the casual fan, who doesn’t pay a cent, and the super nerdy fans who spend a lot?
“ We actually are actually have conversations around that mightily now , ” Bernard told me . “ We do n’t want everybody ’s aggregation to terminate up being indistinguishable . So we do n’t want it to be an yield of if you ’re in there long enough , you have the same clobber everybody has . So we ’re looking for ways that mass can get to secernate their collections . ”
“ I recall some decision - making is kick the bucket to have to begin happening on the level of the collectors themselves , ” he continue . “ I think we ’re going to have to start releasing thing that pressure hoi polloi to choose to chase this thing and not this affair or vice versa . And I recall you ’re right . There is a cohort of people that expect to be able to get everything that comes out — and we ’re test to figure out how to dissuade people from opine that room , and encourage people to sort of verbalise their personal enthusiasm about Star Wars through what it is they decide to chase . ”
I do n’t bang that we have a pure solution for that right now , but rest assured that the conversation is hap . That ’s part of the experimentation that ’s go on … just trying different lever , trying to engage masses in dissimilar way , trying to make things up for Modern exploiter that lumber in and just require to be free to make for for them to palpate like they ’re throw an enrich experience . But then also multitude that are spend some real coin to feel like there are things out there for them too . Everything is just such a counterbalance , and we ’re constantly trying to determine that . ”
Some SWCT cards are ripped from physical cards, like the Masterwork set.Image: Topps
Why has the amount of content in the app slowed down compared to previous years? And why are the weekly marathons always the same?
When I came back on the app in 2020 , almost every day at 2 p.m. Eastern Time you could count on a fresh band being released . These days though , those are much rare , and oftentimes you only get one going a day : The weekly set that comes out that day every workweek and has been the same for years . So , I asked about that change .
“ I think what we ’re try on to do is , we ’re trying to centre on quality subject , ” Bernard say . “ And to some extent , there are sure conclusion that we ’re making , such as re - using broad class of weekly is one of those decisiveness we ’re making to avoid burning swell ideas for a curing on a weekly . So we can spring up those into box sets , or to more premium solidifying , because the idea and the construct behind it is so strong . ”
“ We were really sputter in the past twain of years back when we used to really change up the weeklies every single meter , ” he stay . “ It would just be like , ‘ Oh , that was such a cracking idea for us and we just burned it for a weekly . ’ So we ’re trying to shift to those more broad categories like Heroes , Villains , Droids , because those are always buy the farm to be around . They ’re staples and we figure , we ’ll redesign the templates for those as much as we can . With all the new show coming out , we ’ll attempt to stock them with newfangled characters that the great unwashed have n’t seen yet . Of course . You ’re go to see R2 - D2 bulge out up again in Droids … you ’re going to have your standards , your raw material . ”
Gilded Galaxy cards are the reward for collecting weekly marathon releases.Image: Topps
“ That ’s sort of like a baseline heartbeat , and that ’s permit us to sort of pour our creative vigour into more insurance premium sets for citizenry . To really dig in on those , develop them , really hammer out the designs , even expand if we can , tie them to case . So a set of what you ’re detect and describing there is that pin — so we ’re trying to pivot to more timbre subject . ”
Is there any plan for better communication between the Topps team and the fans?
In the past times , members of the Topps team frequented Reddit , Discord , and more to keep in touch with fans . There was even an interactive Twitch show for a while . Under the current team , however , that is not the fount . Direct communication between fans and the people making the app is svelte to none . And though bothBernardandGranshawsaid they were on the side available to be there for fan via Twitter ( at those links ) , they revealed that hiring someone whose Book of Job is only that has been discussed .
“ There ’s a small bit of rumbling about that , ” Bernard enjoin . “ I would n’t say it ’s very advance at this point , and I could n’t really give you any sort of authority that it ’s about to befall . But it ’s a matter that comes up in conversation . It ’s a matter that we would definitely wish to have . I think we ’re actively trying to fill out roles that we ’ve lack for a number of yr . Sort of at higher floor is where we ’re begin that . I imagine it ’s going to bug out trickle down , satisfy , and expatiate outwards . I think , one really exciting thing , this is just sort of nuts and bolt , but all of our apps are picking up a second couturier , which did n’t use to be the case . So we ’re start to get out of that survival of the fittest style that we ’ve been in for about a bunch of years and begin to prosper and say , ‘ What can we thrive outwards on ? ’ ”
Is that expansion because of the new ownership from Fanatics? How do you feel about that in general?
Back in January , the sports company Fanatics acquired Toppsfor about $ 500 million . Star Wars Card Trader fans immediately make mark the new company would shut the app down , and while Bernard is not an executive director , he did utter turmoil about the new regime . “ I remember they ’re really augment the business organisation , ” Bernard said . “ I call up Tobin [ Lent , VP and Global General Manager of Topps Digital ] uses the watchword ‘ multiplier ’ and I think they believe in the business . That ’s why they foot us up . And so we just have a kind of large collective fellowship now just sort of as a base for things . ”
“ In term of sort of backing us , they are commit , ” he continue . “ I do n’t think they ’re going to throw off just raunchy amounts of money at things . I think we ’re going to go careful but sort of aggressive at the same time . But it ’s been really great . I intend , manifestly , it was newsworthiness to all of us when it happened in January . ab initio , as anybody would be , we were a little nervous . Like , ‘ What does this mean for us ? ’ Pretty quickly it became clear we ’re not going anyplace , they ’re proceed us and they ’re just looking to sort of bolster up what we already do , press out any existing wrinkles , endeavor to figure out what have we wanted to do in the past tense , and not been able to and how can we crack that junky ? Can they help us see out how to do that ? ”
Why do you so radically design popular legacy sets, such as Widevision and Card Trader Illustrated, when bringing them back? What’s that balance?
“ It ’s a good question . You use the discussion ‘ balance ’ and that ’s really what it is . It ’s trying to take the air a tightrope , ” Bernard said . “ We could just release the same innovation over again , [ but ] it would get very confusing . Because people have the older notice , and then masses are getting these newer card that appear the same , and they ’re go to get trade offers that are going to make them insane . So any fourth dimension we require to resurrect a dear set , we ’re going to have to change the manner it looks in some way . ”
“ We always hope that we do properly by people that jazz that set , but it ’s one of those things where design is very subjective , ” Bernard continued . “ There are people that know it , and people that are just turned off and do n’t want to take part . And that ’s just sort of my line . Every twenty-four hours I make out to piece of work and that is the reality I deal with . So , you jazz , we ’re always trying to do the correct thing and make it look good . But we do have to always be acquire and progress innovation so masses can say , ‘ Oh , this is the 2022 card and this was 2015 . ’ ”
There’s been a lot of Obi-Wan Kenobi content in the app tied to the new show. Any chance of Ewan McGregor signatures?
“ Not at this here and now , but I ’d say abide tuned , ” Granshaw order . “ All that is in the process . Of of course , we would love to have that . A circumstances of that is , I lean to work with the licensing squad on that , [ and we ] discuss all the time the thing not only that we really need but what the fans really want to see . And yeah it might take a little bit , but digit crossed . ”
How do you see Star Wars Card Trader changing and adapting over the next few months?
“ elaboration - wise , we have our original artistic production that goes into the app , ” Granshaw said . “ That ’s something that we ’re definitely trying to maturate and expand upon … with the original prowess scorecard , we get the chance to really focalize on characters you do n’t see a lot . The eccentric in the setting that everyone still enjoy but possibly you do n’t have a lot of access to otherwise . [ It ] brings a destiny of unlike nontextual matter fashion and perspectives into the app , so that ’s something we ’re excited about grow — bring different types of artists in and just exploring with the depicted object what else we can do with it . ”
“ I intend more events , more of everything , ” Bernard added . “ We ’re just look to get and spread out everything that people are poke on . ”
Star Wars Card Trader is uncommitted to download in both the Apple and Google app storage .
This Pulp Cover set by Robert Jiminez can only be found in SWCT.Image: Topps
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A 2022 Widevision card, which looks very different from a 2015.Image: Topps
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