Hasbro continuously gets downgraded as a stock for financial institutions.  We are going into a likely depression looking at the decrease in M2 money supply.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2023/11/05/money-supply-great-depression-big-move-in-stocks/

Hasbro has shown it will fight spinning off WotC and its toy sales are completely tanked due to them using poor quality manufacturers. Additionally, Hasbro is dealing with China's decreasing number of workers and supply chain issues.  Next, Hasbro is trying to sell toys for its fellow ESG corp Disney that keeps releasing movies with characters no child will buy translating in failed toy sales.  Go to your local Ollies if you want to see the complete failure of Hasbro toys.

The D&D IP is too valuable to let it go fallow.  But then we go into the who will have the money and the desire to buy the D&D License?  Games Workshop doesn't have an active RPG division and I do not see them buying D&D, and factor in the progressive pride cancer endemic to Seattle, Games Workshop can't afford to add more ESG workers to company culture - they will end up dead like Hasbro if they do.  Paizo would have to kill off its Pathfinder Brand and pay more for competing IP, they won't buy it.  Kobold Press and Goodman Games do not have the funds to buy the license.

I see D&D being bought by a large video game publisher and they will sublicense the D&D title to a scrub rpg tier developer and the video game will be a 5E/6E clone engine.  The scrub rpg tier developer will release subpart titles that will not fare well.  That is how I see D&D ending its short term relationship with fentanyl I mean ESG.  D&D is going to end up being a 25 cent whore for a retard rpg developer and it will have the progressive pride flag on it probably ending up under Disney or EA, watch.

D&D is a strong brand, they have online content, and they have a nascent VTT, so...

EA buys them and starts pumping out pay-to-win, loot-box infested dreck.

Quote from: rytrasmi on January 09, 2024, 10:34:25 AM
D&D is a strong brand, they have online content, and they have a nascent VTT, so...

EA buys them and starts pumping out pay-to-win, loot-box infested dreck.

EA would only handle the online version and they would handle it very badly.  I worked for them corporate and their online operations were always poor.  EA will NOT do the rules design.  EA as a company lacks people with the ability to write compelling lore and game rules.  EA is now a glorified ESG firm that can do voice acting, character models and use the rules that were created by their betters.

Exactly, which is why it will be terrible. The recent success of BG3 might motivate a big bad computer game company to scoop up all the D&D IP rather than just license it for one game. The rules exist. The buyer just needs to create slick graphics and voice acting and monetization traps. EA can do that. If they need to mess with the rules, they can just hire some laid off WotC employee on contract. I'm sure they can maintain an online content portal. If they continue to print books, they can just sub that out.

I don't see D&D ever being owned by a rpg company ever again. Short term leases to produce content at best.

The D&D brand is (imo) monstrously over valued, and has joined things like Marvel and Star Wars as becoming 'lifestyle brands.'

People that genuinely love D&D as a game and setting will never get to control it.

Quote from: rytrasmi on January 09, 2024, 10:34:25 AM
D&D is a strong brand, they have online content, and they have a nascent VTT, so...

EA buys them and starts pumping out pay-to-win, loot-box infested dreck.

Neverwinter already is loot-box infested.

Quote from: Grognard GM on January 09, 2024, 11:05:35 AM
The D&D brand is (imo) monstrously over valued, and has joined things like Marvel and Star Wars as becoming 'lifestyle brands.'

None of those are "lifestyle brands"... yet.

They are multi-platform though. But D&D was that right out the gate.

Quote from: Omega on January 09, 2024, 11:33:25 AM

Quote from: Grognard GM on January 09, 2024, 11:05:35 AM
The D&D brand is (imo) monstrously over valued, and has joined things like Marvel and Star Wars as becoming 'lifestyle brands.'

None of those are "lifestyle brands"... yet.

They are multi-platform though. But D&D was that right out the gate.

Apparently the D&D cookbook outsold the players handbook.  Knowing the ESG push at WotC, they will probably start selling Chromatic Dildos for kids with a red dragon module to help them with their transition.

https://bad-dragon.com/shop

I'll offer to buy WoTC for about tree fiddy.

Quote from: Banjo Destructo on January 09, 2024, 02:30:51 PM
I'll offer to buy WoTC for about tree fiddy.

Quote from: Banjo Destructo on January 09, 2024, 02:30:51 PM
I'll offer to buy WoTC for about tree fiddy.

Is that dollars or pennies???

Either way you are probably over-paying.

Quote from: honeydipperdavid on January 09, 2024, 10:05:09 AM
...
Hasbro has shown it will fight spinning off WotC and its toy sales are completely tanked due to them using poor quality manufacturers. Additionally, Hasbro is dealing with China's decreasing number of workers and supply chain issues.  Next, Hasbro is trying to sell toys for its fellow ESG corp Disney that keeps releasing movies with characters no child will buy translating in failed toy sales.  Go to your local Ollies if you want to see the complete failure of Hasbro toys.
...
The D&D IP is too valuable to let it go fallow.  But then we go into the who will have the money and the desire to buy the D&D License?  ...

No One.

Even if Hasbro declares bankruptcy what is most likely to happen is that they come to a deal with their creditors, cut a lot of fat, and emerge a leaner, more profitable company.

And they will never let go of the Wotc Magic ccg golden goose that is paying the bills.

In my opinion; Hasbro will have to do things that meaningfully affect the sales of MtG for it to truly collapse.

If they were really smart; They'd spin off and sell all the toy ip off as a separate company like "Kenner toys". But Hasbro is known for clinging to ip - so that is highly unlikely.

Quote from: Grognard GM on January 09, 2024, 11:05:35 AM
The D&D brand is (imo) monstrously over valued, and has joined things like Marvel and Star Wars as becoming 'lifestyle brands.'

Marvel flirted with being a lifestyle brand for quirky wine aunts around 2018.  Weirdly, this didn't go over all that well and they quietly dropped it.  For example, they haven't done their cooking show in years.

I'm open to an alternative title for brands where they are about everything but the original concept.

Like how Marvel and Star Wars aren't about comics or cool movies anymore, but rather a brand that can be put on funko pops, lunchboxes, mugs and t-shirts.

Don't get me wrong, OT Star Wars merchandised HARD, but the merchandise was attached to an artistic endeavour. Shit, even old 80's cartoons, basically animated commercials, had characters and storylines that had some artistic merit.

Quote from: Grognard GM on January 09, 2024, 07:59:23 PM
I'm open to an alternative title for brands where they are about everything but the original concept.

That's a merchandise brand.  A lifestyle brand doesn't just sell you stuff.  It sells you a lifestyle.  REI sells stuff like jackets and hiking boots.  They don't just sell stuff though.  What they are really selling is that outdoors lifestyle.  They sell branded tents but what they are really selling is this.