[Moonlit Musings] Blizzard Entertainment Soul Fest, Gen Alpha Gamers, Artist Highlights in Meditation, Magic & More!
June 2025
This month, we’re celebrating the ways stories connect us—across generations, genres, and platforms. From preparing for Blizzard Entertainment’s Soul Fest to spotlighting Gen Alpha gamers, meditative books and trading card debuts, June is full of moments that remind us why we do this work: to amplify imagination, foster community, and champion new voices.
Let’s dive in!
Moonbeam Is Joining Blizzard Entertainment’s Soul Fest
We’ve been accepted to participate in video game developer and publisher Blizzard Entertainment’s SOUL FEST, a Juneteenth celebration spotlighting Black-owned local businesses in the worlds of art, books, fashion, wellness, and more.
Hosted on June 26 at Blizzard’s Irvine, CA campus, Soul Fest brings together culture, community and creativity—values that resonate with Moonbeam’s mission. As the creative force behind iconic games like World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo, Blizzard knows the power of immersive and interactive storytelling and unforgettable characters.
At the festival, we’ll share with the community some original books by Black authors and illustrators we represent. And, we’ll introduce some of the IP we’re adapting—stories we believe have potential for expansion across gaming and interactive media (Dream Warriors, anyone?). With storytelling at the heart of both games and kids' media, we see Soul Fest as a meaningful opportunity to explore cross-platform possibilities and meet fellow creatives—and of course, to amplify the stories of our underrepresented creators!
Here are a few of the titles we’ll be sharing with the community at Blizzard Entertainment’s Soul Fest:
Gen Alpha Now Leads the Charge in Console Gaming
And while we’re on the topic of video games, here is this month’s industry insight…
The latest report from the Entertainment Software Association reveals that kids under 13 (Gen Alpha) are now the most active console gamers in the US, with 69% regularly playing on consoles—outpacing Gen Z and Millennials. They also lead in VR usage and rank second only to Gen X on mobile. Their favorite genres? Arcade, puzzles, and action games—suggesting a strong appetite for fun, fast-paced, and creative gameplay.
Even more telling: 82% of U.S. parents play video games with their kids, and over half do so weekly. Parents overwhelmingly see games as a better alternative to social media—citing benefits like problem-solving, creativity, and time together. For Moonbeam Literary & Media, this underscores the growing demand for family-friendly, story-rich IP that can cross into gaming, interactive, and hybrid spaces—meeting kids where they are, and inviting their grown-ups along for the ride.
Мónica Paola Rodríguez’s “Magic: The Gathering” Debut!
Puerto Rican artist (and Moonbeam client) Mónica Paola Rodríguez’s trading card design for Magic: The Gathering has officially been released! Her card, La abundancia de Yúcahu, appears in the newly launched Nuestra Magia drop—a special Secret Lair set created in collaboration with Wizards of the Coast and the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC).
This powerful, culturally rich design is part of the Sylvan Library and reflects Mónica’s Boricua heritage. The drop is available June 16–July 13 at MagicSecretLair.com, with 50% of proceeds benefiting NALAC.
A huge congrats to Mónica on bringing her artistry and culture to one of the world’s most iconic card games!
Meet Moonbeam Artist, Casi Cole
Casi Cole is a healing guide and writer who creates stories to nourish children’s inner world and invite deeper connection. With a background in English and a lifelong love of poetry and books, she began writing imaginative tales for her own children—placing them at the heart of each story to foster a love of reading, share meaningful lessons, and guide them through calming visualizations.
Her debut book, Moon Cat, was born from this tender tradition. Blending magical imagery with emotional warmth, Casi’s stories offer guided meditations in an enjoyable, accessible form for both caregivers and children-supporting emotional regulation, relaxation, and bonding through the power of storytelling.
Moon Cat is illustrated by another beloved Moonbeam artist and client, Amanda Romanick. The book will be out in November 2025, wherever books are sold.
Meanwhile, we’re also shopping Casi’s middle grade novel, The Pink Camp, in which a young boy named Zachary meets pirates from the past and discovers the textured history of New Orleans. We’re excited to find a publishing home for this title!
Public School 84Q Steinway Elementary Completes Book Making Workshop
Look at those joyful faces from the kids of P.S. 84Q in Astoria, New York!
Natalie Obando—author, screenwriter, and President of the National Women’s Book Association—paid a final in-person visit to these kids after teaching them virtually for weeks from across the country. The workshop sessions covered the process of writing and publishing a children’s book, spanning everything from main character energy, to world-building, to inciting incidents, to color palettes.
The kids collectively came up with their own story concept around a zombie apocalypse, and the zombie-shark who strives to save the planet from environmental disaster. With completion of the teaching portion of the workshop, the next stage kicks off with translating and developing the kids’ story into a professional book product, scripted and illustrated by a professional author and illustrator.
The book-making workshops are commissioned by non-profit after-school program New York Edge, with grant support from the Pinkerton Foundation.
Catch you in the next issue!
Jesse & Rebecca