Hasbro's $1 billion bet on internal game development

[Gizmo_Duck]

This could be interesting

Last year was a massive one for Hasbro's video game business, with Monopoly Go and Baldur's Gate 3 providing the toy maker with two of its biggest hits in games to date.

But those games were licensing deals, externally developed by Scopely and Larian Studios, respectively. And despite the success of those partnerships, Hasbro is actually investing considerably in building out its own internal development. That's something Dan Ayoub, head of digital product development at Hasbro's Wizards of the Coast brand, is keen to emphasize when we speak with him at the Game Developers Conference.

The company has four AAA studios right now. There's North Carolina-based Atomic Arcade, which is working on a Snake Eyes GI Joe game that Ayoub calls "not your daddy's GI Joe."

Montreal-based Invoke Studios is working on a Dungeons & Dragons game, ....

...while the Austin, Texas-based Skeleton Key is, as the name might suggest, "doing something spooky."

Finally, there's another Austin shop called Archetype, where BioWare veteran and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic lead designer James Ohlen is working on a new franchise called Exodus.

"Over $1 billion is in video game development right now," Ayoub says. "And that is just these studios. That's to say nothing of the other game investments that are happening. Definitely I've seen the company put its actions around its words in terms of building these studios around strong leaders, thinking about the long game as well. We've got a portfolio that goes much, much larger than anything we're talking about right now."

Hasbro's $1 billion bet on internal game development

Last year was a massive one for Hasbro's video game business, with Monopoly Go and Baldur's Gate 3 providing the toy ma…

www.gamesindustry.biz

 

[Diunx]

Its kind of crazy how these toy companies never made a real push into the industry before.

 

[Rekkapryde]

A GI Joe game done well would be a monster.

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

Its kind of crazy how these toy companies never made a real push into the industry before.

Nintendo was literally a toy company

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

A GI Joe game done well would be a monster.

GOAT misused IP

 

[daze23]

Its kind of crazy how these toy companies never made a real push into the industry before.

what about Bandai

 

[MajesticLion]

Is it authentically GI Joe if people are actually hitting what they aim for?

 

[Neuromancer]

Can we get a new Transformers game?

 

[daze23]

Is it authentically GI Joe if people are actually hitting what they aim for?

maybe all the guns will shoot lasers like the cartoon

 

[Black White Sox Hat]

It’s kind of crazy how these toy companies never made a real push into the industry before.

Hasbro family game night..

I think I was the only one who played it.

 

[drifter]

Its kind of crazy how these toy companies never made a real push into the industry before.

After you watch a doc or listen to the franchise owners trying to deal with them on licensing, you find out pretty quick they are some of the dumbest, shortsighted "execs" you'll ever hear about. Most can't see past the nose on their face let alone manage the toys & branch into games at the same time lol

So of course they'll make G.I. Joe games 30-40 years too late when 96% of kids have iPads & Roblox and have never heard of him lmao. D&D will probably be a hit if it's good, especially on Twitch/Kick. Anything with a toy line though...good luck

 

[-DMP-]

they will probably find that it’s just less expensive and easier to license out their IPs than to fund internal studios but hey. Gods speed.

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

they will probably find that it’s just less expensive and easier to license out their IPs than to fund internal studios but hey. Gods speed.

Lets see if they’re more successful at it than Disney.

 

[Rekkapryde]

GOAT misused IP

A game where you play as different Joes and having other Joes as NPCs with a AAA budget

The weapons


Do a sequel flipping the script with playing as Cobra Characters taking out/kidnapping Joes.

 

[Tj Bronson]

A game where you play as different Joes and having other Joes as NPCs with a AAA budget

The weapons


Do a sequel flipping the script with playing as Cobra Characters taking out/kidnapping Joes.

I would never stop playing that game