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Amidst all the back-and-forth in the latest development in the bankruptcy of Diamond Comic Distributors and its associated companies is one detail that, entirely separate from any lawsuits and bankruptcy details, should stand out: Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons owner Wizards of the Coast is dropping Diamond’s Alliance Game Distributors as a distribution partner as of May 1, 2025.

According to the information laid out in Alliance Entertainment’s lawsuit against Diamond, Wizards of the Coast initially made the decision to cut ties with Alliance Game Distributors at the end of 2024, opting not to renew a contract with the company that expired December 31, 2024. This is, notably, before Alliance Game Distributor owner Diamond announced it was filing for bankruptcy — that came two weeks later. Given that Alliance Entertainment’s lawsuit suggests that Wizards was worth roughly 25% of Alliance Game Distributors’ revenue and is the company's "most critical relationship," it’s worth wondering if there’s a connection between the two events.

(If the Alliance Entertainment lawsuit is to be believed, Wizards of the Coast is responsible for roughly $39.88 million of annual revenue for Alliance Game Distributors and parent company Diamond Comic Distributors.)

Nonetheless, Wizards and Diamond negotiated a short-term extension through March 31, which was then extended again until April 30. Wizards was offered a longer extension through December 31, 2025, but refused the offer, according to the lawsuit, with Wizards allegedly telling Diamond that it had always intended to sever their working relationship due to decreasing sales at a time when other distributors were seeing sales increases. The short-term extensions were, again according to the lawsuit, attempts to induce Diamond to name Wizards of the Coast as a "critical vendor" in bankruptcy proceedings, which would give it priority for the court to repay monies owed. According to court documents, Diamond owes Wizards of the Coast $914,601.84; it owes Wizards' parent company Hasbro an additional $1,064,378.39.

All of this means means that, barring unforeseen circumstances — always a possibility! — stores that had previously relied on Alliance Game Distributors to get Magic and D&D supplies will have to look elsewhere in just a couple of days, as of writing.

Thankfully, that won’t be too difficult a task; Wizards has a public list of distribution partners around the world, and the US is particularly well-served with options. Indeed, if there’s a winner in this development, it’s likely the other distributors who’ll be able to pick up any slack left by Alliance Game Distributors’ removal as a distribution option, Peachstate Hobby Distribution, GTS Distribution, and Southern Distribution among them.

With any luck, gamers won’t notice significant interruption to their supply despite Wizards’ decision. In a year that's already seeing the gaming industry disrupted by tariffs impacting manufacturing costs, it's nice to see that at least one change won't be catastrophic to everyone involved. 

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