WotC Hasbro Has Invested $1B In Video Games, Including A New D&D Game

Wizards of the Coast's head of digital production, Dan Ayoub, spoke to GamesIndustry.biz about Hasbro's future video game plans, with over a billion dollars currently invested in internally developed games.

With Baldur's Gate 3 doing so well, and developer Larion confirming that it would not be working on a sequel, the future of that franchise is still in question, with Hasbro currently looking for partners for the project. Ayoub commented that "something like" BG3 was in the works.

"One of the great things we took from the success of Baldur's Gate 3 is that people really, really like a great, well-executed D&D game, so we've got something like that."

-Dan Ayoub​

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Hasbro's four video game studios are Atomic Arcade, Invoke Studios, Archetype, and Skeleton Key. While those studios are working with various Hasbro properties, such as GI Joe, Invoke is currently working on a Dungeons & Dragons game. Of course, the company also seeks to create new IP via video games, and Archetype's James Ohlen (Knights of the Old Republic) is involved with a new franchise called Exodus.

""Over $1 billion is in video game development right now. 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."

In Summer 2023, WotC cancelled 5 video games. At the time it owned 6 video game studios, according to then-president Cynthia Williams.

 

[Scribe]

This is going to be a "We have BG4 at home." type meme.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

A D&D dating simulation? It is possible but I would suggest to use Birthright setting.

A sequel of Planescape: Torment should be in the list of future projects.

I suggest the licence of D&D should be for a videogame studio what not only wanted money but to earn prestige as company.

The biggest studios are too busy into their own projects to be interested into a D&D licence.

Not all the D&D videogames can be a clone of BG3 or the rip-off of some famous franchise.

Ravenloft is perfect for a survival horror style Resident Evil Village. The new Falkovnia seems to have been redesigned if you want a Ravenloft zombie-apocalypse survival game.

Witchlight is right if you want a family-friendly style, but it isn't even an official setting yet.

A videogame of LEGO: Stryxhaven in the right hands can be a superhit.

Bloomburrow could be adapted into a D&D videogame, but this has to await.

 

[Zardnaar]

I'll settle for a D&D deodorant simulation. After that a dating one (might have to roleplay it).

 

[Distracted DM]

I was so disappointed by D&D: Dark Alliance- that was a WotC-published+owned game iirc. Maybe they'll have better luck in the future...

 

[Joshua Randall]

Baldur's Gate 4 spoiler: At the end, you must choose to release the blue dragon, the green dragon, or the red dragon. All three choices have the same narrative impact on the world.

So Mass Effect, then?

 

[Zardnaar]

So Mass Effect, then?

Ruined it.

 

[DarkCrisis]

I was so disappointed by D&D: Dark Alliance- that was a WotC-published+owned game iirc. Maybe they'll have better luck in the future...

Even funnier is it’s never been on sale (digitally) at a good cheap price. It’s like they are still trying to convince people it’s a great game worth buying at &40 or more. Or they they think they are Square Enix who also hate sales.

 

[cranberry]

Like I said in another thread, consumers have very high expectations for games like this now. The likelihood of it being as successful as BG3 is low.

Furthermore, with all of these developers, the game may be built "by committee". Having too many cooks often spoils the broth.

 

[Reynard]

Generally speaking, I don't think internal development is the best use of the D&D brand in video games. I would rather see robust licensing where we can get D&D crunchy tactical rpgs and action rpgs and cozy sims and 4X grand strategy games and narrative adventures and so on.

 

[Oofta]

Like I said in another thread, consumers have very high expectations for games like this now. The likelihood of it being as successful as BG3 is low.

Furthermore, with all of these developers, the game may be built "by committee". Having too many cooks often spoils the broth.

I agree with the first, the odds of any other game in any genre being this successful is slim.

As for the second part? From what we've heard, WotC is being pretty hands off. Time will tell of course.