Update: Since the story was published, Hasbo has released a statement denying the rumours. “We are not looking to sell our D&D IP,” Hasbro stated in a response to CGMagazine. “We will keep talking to partners about how we bring the best digital experiences to our fans. We won’t comment any further on speculation or rumors about potential M&A or licensing deals.”
A new report has surfaced that claims Tencent, a company that has made a lot of acquisitions over the past decade, is seeking to purchase the Dungeons & Dragons IP from Hasbro.
The report (which comes straight from SpeedDaily and has been translated from Chinese to English by PanDaily) implies that Tencent — a China-based company that has made numerous acquisitions in video games over the past decade — is interested in purchasing some part of the Dungeons & Dragons IP from Hasbro. Seeing as how Baldur’s Gate 3 (set in the D&D universe) has just won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2023, it is a lucrative purchase. The report suggests Hasbro is “looking” to sell the rights, and Tencent is listed as “one of the potential buyers,” even after Tencent reported huge losses at the end of 2023.
According to the translated report, Hasbro initially reached out to Larian Studios with the proposition of a sale due to an increasing financial crisis Hasbro has been dealing with, and this is the sole reason Hasbro is entertaining a sale. Larian Studios could not afford the asking price, so they recruited conglomerate Tencent to help broker a deal.
The ongoing financial trouble the company faces is outlined in Hasbro’s Q3 2023 financial earnings report, where it suggests (like Q2 2023) that they have accrued staggering losses for the quarter, aside from the “the success of licensed digital games Baldur’s Gate III and Monopoly Go! which drove $63 million of incremental revenue in Q3.” While the financial report also names Wizards of the Coast as a bright spot for profitability, Hasbro has gone with Dungeons & Dragons as a sale option to help right the ship.
Dungeons & Dragons has worldwide renown. From Hollywood Actor Joe Manganiello thrusting it into the limelight over the years, massive series hits like Stranger Things adding more prestige to the license, and even a box office success with the latest Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves raking a gross global profit of $208 million to a budget of $150 million (according to Box Office Mojo).
While all signs do point toward Tencent making a play for the Dungeons & Dragons rights (to some capacity), fans should take the news with a grain of salt until a formal announcement is made by any of the involved parties.
