Chinese media giant Tencent is reportedly seeking to acquire the Dungeons & Dragons IP from Hasbro, as per the Beijing-based outlet Pandaily. The proposed sale is said to be driven by Hasbro’s financial issues. However, Wizards of the Coast has denied the report, stating that they are not looking to sell the D&D IP and enjoy multiple partnerships with Tencent across several IPs.
The report suggests that Baldur’s Gate 3 studio Larian was initially explored as a potential buyer of the Dungeons & Dragons IP, but reportedly didn’t have the funds. As a result, Hasbro then turned to Tencent, which owns 30% of Larian. D&D, along with Monopoly, is one of Hasbro’s only profitable assets, as evidenced by the success of Monopoly GO!, a mobile game that saw significant engagement last year.
Despite this, Hasbro faced significant layoffs in 2022, affecting more than 1,900 employees, which accounted for over 20% of its workforce, according to Forbes. Baldur’s Gate 3, part of the Dungeons & Dragons universe, has been well-received and commercially successful. The game was released for PC in August, followed by a PS5 launch the next month, and arrived on Xbox in December. Larian announced that the game would be getting a physical Deluxe Edition, set for release in ‘Q1 2024’ for Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC at a price of $79.99 / €79.99.
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