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Lazarus Rising Games has initiated its campaign to return the legendary 1990s collectible card game OverPower to its original glory, signing licensing deals with Top Cow Productions, Inc. and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. to include the likes of Top Cow’s Witchblade, Darkness and Cyberforce, as well as Burroughs’ iconic Tarzan of the Apes and John Carter of Mars. OverPower is set to formally relaunch in late 2024.
Formerly known as BMG & Associates, Lazarus Rising Games’ core ownership is comprised of a group of successful professionals who spent their youth playing OverPower – and continue to this day. Their passion for the game is the driving force of the company, and their experience ensures the game’s authenticity to its roots while relentlessly seeking new assets to infuse the game’s resurgence. As the collectible card game market has continued to once again blossom, the LRG team has sought to position OverPower at the center of that revival by appealing to the game’s loyal fans – and prospective new players – with the acquisition of new IPs, an inclusive, creative set of rules for smooth, exciting gameplay, and absolutely stunning artwork from some of the top illustrators in the games and comics industries.
“This is the perfect scenario of players making a game for players,” says Ronald Pozzi, co-founder and president of Lazarus Rising Games. “Our collective familiarity & knowledge of OverPower gives us a keen understanding of the fans’ perspective and the gaming intricacies to ensure an authentic OverPower experience with enhanced assets and gameplay to appeal to both longtime, passionate players and those new to the game. Our goal is to reestablish OverPower not only to its previous standing, but to guide the game to the level of prominence to which it should have progressed.”
Further establishing OverPower’s footprint, LRG has entrusted production of its cards to legendary Cartamondi, the worldwide leader in “play” solutions with a global brand portfolio that boasts a suite of heritage brands that go back as far as 1848, including global brands in the CCG market like Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic The Gathering.
“We know there’s a passionate core audience for OverPower,” says LRG co-founder and CEO Joseph Gagnepain, “and it’s our job to nurture and deliver for that devoted community, while also introducing this unique game to new players. We’re so excited to soon reveal the many innovations and exquisite craftsmanship coming to OverPower, all of which embrace the game’s beloved essential aspects and add enhancements authentic to the game’s nature – particular in the addition of new, exciting licensing deals to include the popular characters of Top Cow and Edgar Rice Burroughs.”
The licensing deal with Top Cow features characters from the company’s popular roster of properties, notably Witchblade, Darkness, Cyberforce, Cyberdata, Codename: Strykeforce, Aphrodite IX, Hunter Killer, Genius, Think Tank, Syphon and A Man Among Ye.
“Top Cow Universe characters were a part of the original Image OverPower set,” explains Top Cow founder & CEO Marc Silvestri, “so we are psyched to resurrect the original characters like Witchblade, Darkness and Stryker, and add new characters from our Top Cow Production properties in a collectible set that only OverPower can do justice.”
Adds Top Cow COO Matt Hawkins, “As an avid tabletop gamer, I played the original OverPower, so being a part of this new set is pretty cool! They’ve done a good job with the initial designs to capture the nostalgic feel of the ‘90s with the more fluid gameplay of today.”
Beyond the deals with Top Cow & Burroughs, LRG has enlisted an impressive roster of illustrators to create images for the game, most notably renowned comic book & CCG artists Philip Tan, Jim Chung and David Nakayama.
LRG has already begun a soft rollout of the game’s new aspects and cards, initially offering two new sets earlier this year – which sold out immediately – for test-playing the new mechanics of the game. A new full core set is now in production with deliveries expected in early 2025, and additional expansions are in the works for Q4 of 2025. In addition, LRG is in active negotiations with a wide array of popular IPs to further enhance the game’s ever-expanding roster of beloved characters and exquisite artwork. OverPower fans and retailers are excited about the possibilities.
“I’ve been looking over the new OverPower set and I’m really impressed!” says Doug Simms, owner of Heroes and Games in Columbus, Ohio. “The store support looks to be just what we need, and the focus on organized play and prize support is just what players will be wanting. Having exclusive items that make the decks a little more flashy with foiled versions of cards from the booster boxes is perfect. The balance of availability will be great for competitive players, while the casual players can still get the same cards in a non-foil version from boosters.”
“This is lighting in a bottle,” remarked Al Spader, contributing writer for Star Trek Adventures and author of the Sentience and Once Upon RPGs. “You’ve really brought OverPower back and created something better within it.”
