Before you apply to join the Wizards Play Network, there are a few things you should know first.

Update: Starting in North America, we are beginning a gradual rollout to reinstate WPN Orientation metrics as a part of the WPN Orientation Program. The Orientation Ticket Requirement for North America will be 45 Tickets. We will communicate Ticket Requirements for each region as needed.

The Application Process

Our team will ask you to submit a few key items to verify your business for membership. Application requirements may differ depending on your region. Speak with a WPN Retail Specialist for more information.

Ownership Verification

We can only accept an application to the WPN from the registered owner of the business. Please be prepared to provide a business license or other documentation that includes the owner’s name in connection with the store.

Video Walkthrough

We would like to see your store as if we were there to see it ourselves. Please submit one continuous video. This is best uploaded via a shared link to the file. We want to see:

• Your store’s appearance from the outside
• Your point of sale area and your current Magic: The Gathering sealed product
• Your dedicated play space
• Other public amenities your customers can access (including restrooms)

Here are some of the expectations we have of WPN applicants, and what we’ll be looking for in your video.

• Your store is readily identifiable as a tabletop hobby gaming focused retail location.
• Your signage is professional and not handwritten.
• Your store is inviting and accessible.
• The store is open for business and not under construction or in the process of being set up.
• The storefront, retail space, play space, hallways, and bathrooms are clean and free of dust or clutter.
• You have a professional retail merchandising space, appropriately stocked with current sealed Wizards of the Coast product. Additionally, the space is not cluttered or overfilled.
• Your play space is permanent, comfortable, and spacious enough to organize at least 16-player tournaments.
• You have an internet connection.
• Your furniture, walls, floors, carpets, ceilings, stairwells, and other fixtures are safe, clean, and in good repair.
• Doors, walls, and other structural features must be finished, permanent, safe, and in good repair. There should be no exposed wiring or anything resembling damage.
• Your store doesn’t share space with another business and is not located inside another business.

The WPN Orientation Program

After completing the application process, you will be enrolled in a probationary four-week WPN Orientation period. This consists of two parts:

• Four conversations with your WPN Retail Specialist.
• Achieving the Orientation Ticket Requirements for your region.
• Temporarily waived due to COVID-19.

Weekly Conversations

A dedicated WPN Retail Specialist for your region will work with you to schedule four conversations over the next few weeks. These conversations will help you get to know us, help us get to know your store better, and provide you with useful insights that have helped many other successful WPN stores.

Here are the types of topics that your specialist will be discussing with you:

1. Player Pathing
2. Event Strategy
3. Customer Experience
4. Managing WPN Programs

Orientation Requirements*

By the end of the four-week Orientation period, we expect your store to reach a required Ticket count milestone. This milestone is determined by your region.

*A Note on COVID-19: Currently, our play metrics have been frozen and we are not requiring stores reach the ticket threshold to remain in the WPN. To keep players safe, we are not asking stores to commit to in-store play. When this exception is lifted, we will return to the original ticket threshold requirements below.

What are Tickets? They are a total of all entries across your Magic: The Gathering events, in any format. If one player plays in one of your reported events, they count as one Ticket. An eight-player event counts for eight tickets.

Missing Requirements

We have high standards for entry into the Wizards Play Network. Your store’s WPN account may be closed for any of the following reasons:

• Missing the required Ticket count for your region by the end of orientation
• . Temporarily waived due to COVID-19.
• Missing more than two scheduled appointments with your WPN Retail Specialist
• Violating WPN or individual program policies, found here.
• Failing to demonstrate appropriate commitment to the WPN program

We also reserve the right to close any WPN account at our discretion.

If your WPN account is closed, you may be allowed to reapply for membership after a temporary waiting period, depending on the situation. For additional details, speak with your region’s WPN Retail team.

Learn More

Visit WPN.Wizards.com every week for new articles featuring the business practices of successful WPN stores. If you are ready to apply, join us here.