Origins TCG passes 20,000 Steam wishlists in Next Fest week as Crimson Cup reaches playoffs - eGamers.io

The developer Koin Games announced that its card game Origins TCG has surpassed 20,000 wishlists on Steam during the Next Fest event. This milestone represents a new record for the game in terms of concurrent players and new installs. The studio highlighted that the title was the top card game in the festival.

According to the team, more than 4,000 people were watching Origins streams at the same time. The post on X, which opened with "What a week!", also confirmed the significant growth in player interest. The studio expressed its gratitude to the community in the same message.

The Origins TCG account shared a link to the game’s Twitch channel and signed off with a message for the community. The post ended with the statement, "A big thank you from the whole Origins team, see you for the playoffs tomorrow!" This announcement came just as the tournament reached a critical stage.

Crimson Cup Tournament

The playoffs mentioned in the announcement are part of the Crimson Cup, a $10,000 prize pool tournament. Koin Games organized this event to run alongside the Next Fest demo from Oct. 20 to 25. The tournament features three stages: qualifiers, playoffs, and finals.

The studio stated that the tournament has a $10k prize pool, and on top players can win tournament promo cards that will never be re-released. Prizes named in earlier announcements included exclusive 1/1 tournament promo cards, digital packs, booster boxes, and cash. Players who reach the Top 32 start earning these promo cards.

Content creators received wildcard invites that put them directly into the playoffs. On Oct. 5, the studio scheduled two more qualifiers for players outside the main time zone. The Americas qualifier was set for Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. EST, and the EMEA one for Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. CEST. Seven locations were also switched off to keep the tournament balanced.

Ranked Mode and Updates

When Next Fest opened on Oct. 19, the Origins demo already had Ranked Mode. That mode went live Oct. 15, with Grandmaster as the highest rung on the ladder. The same update brought a new home screen, playmats, and reworked missions. The studio said it fixed roughly 100 bugs during this period.

During the festival, players can earn exclusive items by climbing the demo’s leaderboard. Koin Games also started a "Refer a Friend" program that gives packs to both the player who refers and the new recruits. The final balance patch before the tournament landed Sept. 29.

This patch introduced a location rarity system, reworked the card Twister Toss, increased the cost of three cards, and added support for 13 languages. The Origins TCG cast reimagines historical and legendary figures, including Robin Hood and Mulan. Its Steam store page lists it as free to play with a Q4 2026 date.

Turns are simultaneous and play out across three lanes, using a pool of more than 100 rotating locations. A match takes about seven minutes. The studio’s store page says every competitive card is free to earn, and cosmetic variants can be traded on the Steam marketplace.

Upcoming Events

Koin Games held several playtests ahead of Next Fest, one of them Big Bob’s Playtest Battle on Aug. 28. That event was the first to use the Conquest format, where players have to bring several different decks and opponents can ban decks. The developer continues to engage with the community through these events.

The Origins team has confirmed that the Crimson Cup playoffs will be broadcast over the weekend. The tournament structure ensures a competitive environment for players worldwide. The event highlights the growing interest in digital card games and the potential of the Origins TCG platform.