Magic: The Gathering publisher Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has announced that they’re ending their relationship with fantasy artist Noah Bradley. The company cited his “inappropriate sexual conduct with members of the Magic and artist community” as the reason for their decision. This news comes soon after WotC also cut ties with artist Terese Nielsen for her support of alt-right organizations.
The news of Bradley’s sexual misconduct broke to the Magic community at large when the artist himself issued a public apology on Twitter. You can read his statement and apology below:
https://twitter.com/noahbradley/status/1274670378296774658
While Bradley himself admitted to preying on and harassing women in his statement, it appears as though many members of the Magic community were aware of his inappropriate conduct.
WotC was swift to act on the matter after the artist’s public admission of guilt. According to their statement, “Wizards is committed to nurturing a safe and fun environment for all in its community and does not tolerate abusive behavior or harassment.”
The fact that WotC released a statement on the matter represents a firmer stance on this issue than they took with their relationship with Nielsen. Magic fans got a definitive answer on the company cutting ties with the latter when Principal Game Designer Doug Beyer mentioned it on the Weekly MTG Twitch stream.
Community members on Twitter applauded WotC for their prompt action on this matter, as some felt that Magic’s publisher took too long to address their relationship with Terese Nielsen.
Kudos on a prompt statement.
— Tolarian Community College (@TolarianCollege) June 22, 2020
Starting now, WotC will no longer be commissioning artwork from Bradley. They will also remove his artwork from reprints of cards he originally illustrated. The company noted, however, that since it takes time to commission artwork and print cards, his work may still appear in products scheduled for release.
