Time: 2024-07-28
When Jason Masherah was 12 years old , he began collecting trading cards , starting with the Garbage Pail kids popular with children , but infuriating to parents . Flash forward to today and Masherah is head of a San Diego County company that has become a leading player in pop culture . As president of Carlsbad - based Upper Deck , Masherah was in the perfect place Thursday , in a room filled with fans on the first full day of San Diego Comic - Con 2024 . Upper Deck , founded in 1989 , focused on baseball and other sports trading cards . But in the early 90s , the company evolved to focus on entertainment , including memorabilia , prints , and digital collectibles . Entertainment has been woven into our company ever since , Masherah said.
That progression was on display at the Comic - Con panel Upper Deck and Neopets : Neopia Reimagined , where Masherah talked about his company 's work in the game industry , which led to a link with Neopets , the digital pet game . The partnership produced a new game launched just last month called Battledome , which fans can play using both physical and digital trading cards . Players enter the world of Neopia and battle as digital pets or fairies against other fans . Battles can include weapons , shields , potions , and more . Neopets CEO Dominic Law said his company was attracted to Upper Deck , which has experience with licensed products . For us , it 's a no - brainer that we wanted to work with Upper Deck on this , Law said . And for Upper Deck , the dedicated fan base of Neopets was a big draw . We have a great game that has a passionate community , Masherah said.
So far , officials with both companies are pleased at the response to the game . It really is about community and being able to share things with your friends all around the world , Masherah said.
Upper Deck , founded in 1989 , focused on baseball and other sports trading cards , but in the early 90s , the company evolved to focus on entertainment , including memorabilia , prints , and digital collectibles . The partnership with Neopets produced a new game launched just last month called Battledome , which fans can play using both physical and digital trading cards . Neopets CEO Dominic Law said his company was attracted to Upper Deck , which has experience with licensed products . For us , it 's a no - brainer that we wanted to work with Upper Deck on this . We have a great game that has a passionate community , Masherah said.
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