Upper Deck in Carlsbad Boasts of New Neopets Game, ‘Battledome,’ at Comic-Con

When he was 12 years old, Jason Masherah 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 response to the game.

“It really is about community and being able to share things with your friends all around the
world,” Masherah said.

Note: Photo credit, inset – from Neopets Battledome Trading Card Game, @Upper Deck, screenshot, YouTube.