Hasbro Plans to Shift 1-2 Titles Annually as Soon as 2025, Wants to Redefine Itself as “Games, IP, Toys” Company
No doubt bolstered by Baldur’s Gate 3’s massive sales revenue, toy company Hasbro is seeking to redefine the company as more than just toys, and is looking to carve a bigger piece of the video game pie.
Speaking to investors, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks claims they want to be known as more than just a company that makes toys, but one that’s about “games, IP and toys.” In terms of gaming, Cocks states they are aiming to release 1-2 titles annually starting as soon as late 2025, and the company is allocating $125 million a year in capital spend to use on video games.
Hasbro’s video game plans include developing their own games, publishing others, and of course, licensing off some of their valuable IPs like Transformers, G.I. Joe and a lot more. Speaking of which, Hasbro reported earnings of $45 million in licensing revenue from mobile game, Monopoly Go, in the first six months of the year. Of course, we’re not done with the year just yet, and Hasbro is expecting another $60 million from the hit mobile game in the latter half of the year.
According to Cooks, “games like Baldur’s Gate 3 show us what the future looks like,”referring to Larian Studio’s hit RPG, which is based on the Dungeons & Dragons license (yes, also owned by Hasbro).
This sentiment by Cocks is a far cry from Hasbro subsidiary, Wizards of the Coast’s, announcement two years ago that they cancelled at least five video game projects. Just a few months ago, Wizards of the Coast mentioned that the next entry in the Baldur’s Gate franchise is already being planned. While that might be the case, they are doing it without Larian Studios, who has publicly announced that they are done with the brand, so don’t expect any Baldur’s Gate 3 DLC (outside of title updates) or Baldur’s Gate 4 from the acclaimed studio.
Of course, with about 15 million copies of BG3 sold (as of March 2024), Hasbro clearly want to see more of that sweet, sweet dough roll in, and are probably hoping for the same kind of success from its sequel. I don’t want to be all doom and gloom here, but unless Hasbro hires a very, very competent studio to take Larian’s place, I somehow suspect they won’t see the level of commercial and critical success as Baldur’s Gate 3.
[Source: Game File (subscription required)]
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