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.

 

[Von Ether]

Good for them. The rpg area has been lacking for years.

Do you mean, crpg?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

"Let's make it like BG3 but with microtransactions!"

I mean ... I would pay for a playable goblin race (with appropriate NPC dialogue to go with it), new subclasses, etc. (Basically everything that you can no longer get a la carte from D&D Beyond.)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

"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."

So, Dan, did you think Dark Alliance was a "great, well-executed game," too? Because if you did, that calls into question your judgement. And if you didn't, and released it knowing it would be a flop, that raises a bunch of other questions.

 

[GDGD]

I mean ... I would pay for a playable goblin race (with appropriate NPC dialogue to go with it), new subclasses, etc. (Basically everything that you can no longer get a la carte from D&D Beyond.)

Me too, but that's more like DLC than micro-transaction. In a micro-transaction game, you'd only be able to play human fighters and everything else would have a price tag on it.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Me too, but that's more like DLC than micro-transaction. In a micro-transaction game, you'd only be able to play human fighters and everything else would have a price tag on it.

That's definitely the worst case scenario, but that's not how it plays out in lots of cases now.

The Diablo 4 store, for instance, is laughably overpriced, but nothing there is necessary or gives you any more player power. It's just cosmetics.

Until we see what the dreaded microtransactions are, I don't think we can decide that either the best case or worst case scenario is going to happen. We just don't know.

There's been a lot of turnover at WotC since late 2022 and they have now officially stopped selling stuff piecemeal at DDB. I don't think even WotC knows what its current strategy around small transactions is at this time.

 

[Meech17]

Me too, but that's more like DLC than micro-transaction. In a micro-transaction game, you'd only be able to play human fighters and everything else would have a price tag on it.

Oh boy... You weren't in the micro-transaction thread were you? This is a big ol can of worms lmao

 

[MonsterEnvy]

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.

 

[Dire Bare]

So, Dan, did you think Dark Alliance was a "great, well-executed game," too? Because if you did, that calls into question your judgement. And if you didn't, and released it knowing it would be a flop, that raises a bunch of other questions.

Ayoub's quote is nonsensical. Before BG3, did WotC think not well-executed games were what the fans were after? Or is another way to say, "We cut corners with Dark Alliance, and the quality was not enough to make the game a success. We now realize that you have to put in AAA effort and resources to get AAA game sales."

Either way, the quote comes across as tone deaf.

 

[Parmandur]

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.

They are doing seversl smart things so far: investing time and money, and with proven talent. Time will tell how it turns out.

 

[Parmandur]

Ayoub's quote is nonsensical. Before BG3, did WotC think not well-executed games were what the fans were after? Or is another way to say, "We cut corners with Dark Alliance, and the quality was not enough to make the game a success. We now realize that you have to put in AAA effort and resources to get AAA game sales."

Either way, the quote comes across as tone deaf.

BG3 is the best selling CRPG of all time, ladt I checked, and by quite a bit, so it seems quite fair of them to day "there's gold in them thar hills" in the wake of that success.