Following the major success of Baldur’s Gate 3, Hasbro is turning its attention to new investments in the world of video games. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Dan Ayoub, head of digital product development at Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast recently confirmed the company has “over USD $1 billion in games right now being developed,” with high hopes for these projects.
As noted, Hasbro currently owns four “AAA” studios, including Atomic Arcade (currently working on a Snake Eyes / G.I. Joe game), Invoke Studios (working on a new Dungeons & Dragons game), Skeleton Key (working on “something spooky”), and Archetype (working on the Matthew McConaughey-starring Exodus).
Per Ayoub, Hasbro is now pushing for new ways of play, diving deeper into the world of video games to seek new forms of engagement. Baldur’s Gate 3 was a smash hit for the company, developed in partnership with Larian Studios, and it aims to continue that success with new games inspired by Dungeons & Dragons and other popular properties.
Read: Hasbro is “talking to lots of partners” about the next Baldur’s Gate
“Hasbro’s a 100-year-old company and it’s built on play,” Ayoub said. “It’s always been about play, it’s always been about entertaining people. And gaming is the predominant form of entertainment for a lot of people, and it’s something that just continues to grow. So in a lot of ways, it makes sense for Hasbro to be in this space.”
One of the biggest things Hasbro took from the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 is that “people really, really like a great, well-executed D&D game” – after all, it has been one of the most popular tabletop games for generations – and it aims to continue developing games in that vein.
As noted by Ayoub, the company isn’t only relying on established franchises for this push – as Exodus is a brand new IP, inspired by futuristic sci-fi.
“Over USD $1 billion is in video game development right now and that is just these studios,” Ayoub said. “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.”
In future, it’s expected that Hasbro will continue to invest in video games, with a particular focus on recapturing the magic of Baldur’s Gate 3, and expanding the potential of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. You can read the full interview with Ayoub on GamesIndustry.biz.
