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.

 

[Reynard]

A couple, there was that survival one that was brought up not too long ago.

Usually, when you assert something, and someone asks for clarification, they are asking for specifics.

 

[Queer Venger]

Im still sad about Larian not shepherding this incredible franchise; I honestly don't think WotC/Hasbro will ever achieve artistically what Larian has with BG3.
the end of another era...

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Usually, when you assert something, and someone asks for clarification, they are asking for specifics.

It wasn’t very long ago the thread came up. There is also Hidden Paths game.

D&D General - Dungeons & Dragons survival sim video game coming

From Dicebreaker: A new Dungeons & Dragons video game billed as a cooperative survival simulation is being developed by Gameloft Montreal, the studio best known for Disney Dreamlight Valley. The Canadian studio announced their partnership with Wizards of the Coast on March 14th, saying that...

www.enworld.org

Im still sad about Larian not shepherding this incredible franchise; I honestly don't think WotC/Hasbro will ever achieve artistically what Larian has with BG3.
the end of another era...

We don’t know what will happen, future games could still be great quality. I doubt that many will reach the level of BG III, but that doesn’t mean they still can’t be good.

 

[Parmandur]

It wasn’t very long ago the thread came up. There is also Hidden Paths game.

D&D General - Dungeons & Dragons survival sim video game coming

From Dicebreaker: A new Dungeons & Dragons video game billed as a cooperative survival simulation is being developed by Gameloft Montreal, the studio best known for Disney Dreamlight Valley. The Canadian studio announced their partnership with Wizards of the Coast on March 14th, saying that...

www.enworld.org

We don’t know what will happen, future games could still be great quality.

Yeah, that Gameloft game might actually be more my speed than BG3, even if it is objectively less good.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Im still sad about Larian not shepherding this incredible franchise; I honestly don't think WotC/Hasbro will ever achieve artistically what Larian has with BG3.
the end of another era...

...or Larian, or anyone else.

 

[Hussar]

I was unaware that a single game and, what, six months? is an "era" to end. Tad melodramatic no?

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I hope the games are good. They don't need to be on BG III's level, I have enjoyed many RPGs that don't reach it.

I would very much settle for Solasta level honestly.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Baldur's Gate III took a long time to get into the shape it is now. Dungeons and Dragons On-line seems to have lingered for ages with little recognition. Before that, Neverwinter Nights (20+ years old now) was the last D&D computer game I can remember being interested in to any degree.

They have an uphill battle for sure, and I think they're really going to be disappointed when they don't get lightning in a bottle in the near future with their next attempt.

I would sure love to see more D&D games along the semi-turned based aspect of BG3. Doubly so if it could be something outside the Forgotten Realms and triply so if it had a "DM tool" that doubled as a 3D VTT.

I kinda wish they'd invest in using Solasta's engine and giving it a buff up, rather than try and develop something entirely from scratch, to be honest.

They should have bought Tactical Studios instead of Toque Studios (now Invoke Studios) and they still should offer to buy Tactical Studios.

 

[bedir than]

What licensed D&D games have been announced?

The life sim you already were told about. Resolution Games is doing a VR Game with the license.

Also, Tuque (now Invoke) was a licensed partner when the did Dark Alliance, only being purchased by WotC after they completed development.

Idle Champions seems to do well, and that's a license to Codename that's still getting upgrades.

Hidden Path did have their project shelved, about 18 months after the rumor that it was already cancelled. They spent about 3 years in dev on their project

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Oh that sucks I was interested in the Hidden Path game.