Independent Research on the Business of Trading Card Games
How we researchGame
Riftbound is a collectible trading card game built around characters and locations from League of Legends. Players use champions to contest control of battlefields. Its official introduction describes head-to-head and four-player free-for-all play, with products including booster packs, preconstructed Champion Decks and the Proving Grounds introductory set.
90 businesses across the value chain, published by Riot Games, Inc.; most in distribution.
Brand affiliated shop: League of Legends official merchandise shop (China)Operates shop: Riot Games Merch StorePublisher linked direct sales channelDirect salesSells game direct to consumer
China, available markets
Governs program: Riftbound Continentals, Riftbound Nexus Nights, Riftbound Regionals
Marketplace operatorSupports marketplace category for game
Businesses on each stage of Riftbound, by role. Acting in the same game or stage is not a business relationship; documented partners are shown in orange.
4 published figures, exactly as the companies state them.
Revenue by game category: Trading Card Games
EUR 284.8 million
Jun 2026
Revenue by game category: Trading Card Games
EUR 1,020.451 million
Mar 2026
Revenue by game category: Trading Card Games
EUR 743.88 million
Dec 2025
Revenue by game category: Trading Card Games
EUR 458.151 million
45 events since 2021 in 10 countries.
Next events
The latest 3 briefs naming Riftbound.
2 people named in a role by the cited sources.
When its relationships started, ended or were announced; the latest first.
Sep 18, 2026Starts
Riot Games, Inc. releases a localized edition of Riftbound in South Korea. source
Aug 7, 2026Starts
Operates shop: Shining Soul flagship shop, Shining Soul WeChat shopDirect salesSells game direct to consumer
China
Sep 2025
Figures as the companies publish them in investor-relations and corporate documents. They describe the reporting company or segment, not the size of the trading card market; segments may include non-TCG business. Nothing is converted, combined or estimated.
Riftbound's 2027 program adds Ladder Points, a five-rank ladder and Grandmaster titles for the top 50 annual players, four three-day Continentals (Dallas, Melbourne, London, Toronto), three-day Regionals and 30-40 Showdown Series events per season.
In its 2027 Consumer Trends Report, Whatnot says Pokémon orders and buyers more than doubled, with a monthly record above ten million Pokémon cards in September, and The Hobbit outsold in-universe Magic sets 5x; in Germany, One Piece orders rose 340% to 17% of TCG revenue.
At Regional Championships the top 58 players will pick Overnumbered Foil Plated Legends by placement, match concessions and post-time result deciding are banned, and decklists are open. Each Regional's Top 8 is invited to a first World Championship Showcase in China in late January.
GLORIOUS SOUL (HK) LIMITED publishes an edition of Riftbound in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan. source
Jun 26, 2026Announced
Riot Games, Inc. releases a localized edition of Riftbound in South Korea. source
May 29, 2026Starts
Riot Games, Inc. releases a localized edition of Riftbound in France (French language). source
Also reported byWhatnot Europe Ltd. (opens the original report)
