RENTON, Wash. -- Wizards of the Coast announced Thursday that as part of the new, revamped card faces coming to Magic: The Gathering, beloved movie villain Jabba the Hutt would be digitally added to every Magic card, starting with Eighth Edition.

"This is something we've always wanted to do from the beginning but couldn't until now," said Mark Rosewater of Wizards of the Coast. "The technology, special effects and so on have finally caught up."

Jabba the Hutt is a gluttonous alien character from the "Star Wars" series of films, known for a cackling muppet companion who sits near his tail.

The digital appearance of Jabba the Hutt will give fans a look into the minds of Magic's creators, Rosewater said.

"We didn't want Magic cards simply to be drawings," Rosewater said. "They were that way because at the time, that's all that we were capable of. But it's not the way we really wanted things.

"We wanted Jabba the Hutt to come to life, digitally, and walk around with Han Solo, on Magic cards that looked like stainless steel and lasers," he said. "Not some Rebecca Guay drawing or something. We didn't want brown, parchment-looking text boxes on black Magic cards. We wanted CGI.

We also always wanted Greedo to shoot first," Rosewater said. "When we go back in a later set and tell the story of young Gerrard, you're going to get to see entire completely digital armies of robots. And you'll get to see Squee in action, actually fighting.

"That Squee. He's everyone's favorite," Rosewater said.

Rosewater said it's possible that other digital enhancements could be used on future Magic cards.

"I don't want to spoil any surprises for our players, but our next large set this fall is going to be pretty exciting," he said. "I'll just say 'Jar Jar' and let your imagination roam."

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!

RENTON, Wash. -- Wizards of the Coast announced Thursday that as part of the new, revamped card faces coming to Magic: The Gathering, beloved movie villain Jabba the Hutt would be digitally added to every Magic card, starting with Eighth Edition.

"This is something we've always wanted to do from the beginning but couldn't until now," said Mark Rosewater of Wizards of the Coast. "The technology, special effects and so on have finally caught up."

Jabba the Hutt is a gluttonous alien character from the "Star Wars" series of films, known for a cackling muppet companion who sits near his tail.

The digital appearance of Jabba the Hutt will give fans a look into the minds of Magic's creators, Rosewater said.

"We didn't want Magic cards simply to be drawings," Rosewater said. "They were that way because at the time, that's all that we were capable of. But it's not the way we really wanted things.

"We wanted Jabba the Hutt to come to life, digitally, and walk around with Han Solo, on Magic cards that looked like stainless steel and lasers," he said. "Not some Rebecca Guay drawing or something. We didn't want brown, parchment-looking text boxes on black Magic cards. We wanted CGI.

We also always wanted Greedo to shoot first," Rosewater said. "When we go back in a later set and tell the story of young Gerrard, you're going to get to see entire completely digital armies of robots. And you'll get to see Squee in action, actually fighting.

"That Squee. He's everyone's favorite," Rosewater said.

Rosewater said it's possible that other digital enhancements could be used on future Magic cards.

"I don't want to spoil any surprises for our players, but our next large set this fall is going to be pretty exciting," he said. "I'll just say 'Jar Jar' and let your imagination roam."

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!