Michael 
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any crazier, MetaZoo goes and drops another nuclear bomb on the community. In a press release from earlier today, the brand goes on to outline some crazy developments taking place in their company.
Each item in this announcement is worthy of its own article but we’ll do our best to condense it into just one. We recommend recommend checking our their tweet for more information.
Company Structure
To start, the company announced an official partnership with the world-famous music producer Steve Aoki. Aoki, who has long been suspected of working with MetaZoo behind-the-scenes, has been a staunch supporter of the trading card game industry. An enthusiast himself, Aoki has been buying, selling, and trading various trading card games for years and will be brought on as a full equity partner and cofounder in the company.
Shaw Mead, a serial entrepreneur and industry figurehead, is also being brought on as the new Chief Operating Officer. Mead, who is the Founder of both Game Kastle Universe and Hobby Games Distribution, has decades of experience in the industry and is expected to provide some quality direction for the brand.
TCG Updates
This next one is huge. Moving forward, MetaZoo has decided to switch printing partners and will now be utilizing Cartamundi for future printing. Cartamundi is a European manufacturer and is one of the biggest names in the industry. They specialize in the manufacturing of board games, card games, and have done printing for both Pokemon and Magic the Gathering (MTG).
As if that isn’t enough, the brand has also been hard at work expanding the availability grading services available for their cards. PSA, BSG, CGC, and DGS are just some of the options MetaZoo collectors can expect to have available.
It’s also interesting to note that the press release gives us some insight into future sets. According to the infographic, the next set to drop will be Nightfall on October 20th. This will be followed by Wilderness on March 1st, UFO on July 30th, and Ouija on October 20th, 2022.
To top it all off, MetaZoo is also working with the famous sports cards manufacturer Topps on the creation of a special trading card set and collectible sticker set. Again, this news is huge. Topps is officially contracted by Major League Baseball for the production of baseball cards and collectibles and also produces a variety of cards for football, basketball, hockey, and soccer.
Distribution & Web Updates
MetaZoo will also be expanding their web presence by working with the live shopping/auction platform Whatnot. Streamers like stashhhloot will be hosting live box breaks on the platform. MetaZoo will also be partnering with Collect-A-Con to increase their presence at conventions around the country.
The madness doesn’t stop there. While the Channel Fireball partnership has been known for a while, the brand just announced the addition of several other prestigious distributors like Universal Distribution and Peachstate Hobby.
Needless to say, the brand is on a seriously upward trajectory. The community knew MetaZoo was doing well but I don’t think anyone anyone expected this. The company also hints at potential MetaZoo toys, plushies, figurines, television shows, movies, and more.
Let us know your thoughts below. Are we perhaps at the forefront of the next Pokemon?
