Tencent is reportedly seeking to acquire Dungeons & Dragons from Hasbro
Update: Wizards of the Coast has denied the report
Chinese media giant Tencent is reportedly seeking to acquire the Dungeons & Dragons IP from Hasbro.
According to Beijing-based outlet Pandaily, Hasbro’s financial issues are the main reason for the proposed sale.
Update
Wizards of the Coast has denied the report.
In a statement provided to VGC, it said: “We regularly talk to Tencent and enjoy multiple partnerships with them across a number of our IPs. We don’t make a habit of commenting on internet rumors, but to be clear: we are not looking to sell our D&D IP.
“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.”
The report also claims that Baldur’s Gate 3 studio Larian is acting as an intermediary in the deal.
It claims that Hasbro initially explored Larian as a potential buyer of the Dungeons & Dragons IP, but the developer reportedly didn’t have the funds, so Habro then moved on to Tencent, which owns 30% of Larian.
D&D is one of Hasbro’s only profitable assets alongside Monopoly, which saw huge success last year with Monopoly GO!, a mobile game that has seen massive engagement.
Despite this, Hasbro faced massive layoffs in 2022 of more than 1,900 employees, accounting for more than 20% of its workforce, according to Forbes.
Further reading
Baldur’s Gate 3 wins Game of the Year at The Game Awards
Baldur’s Gate 3 – which is part of the Dungeons & Dragons universe – was released for PC in August and PS5 the following month, and is one of the current generation’s most critically acclaimed titles, as well as a big commercial hit.
The game arrived on Xbox in December, launching on the Xbox Store just minutes before the game won Game of the Year at The Game Awards.
Larian announced in November that the game would be getting a physical Deluxe Edition, which will be released in ‘Q1 2024’ and will be available on Xbox Series X, PS5 and PC for $79.99 / €79.99.
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