WotC Hasbro selling D&D IP?

[Deset Gled]

Oh hey, I was right!

https://www.enworld.org/threads/hasbro-rejects-plan-to-spin-off-wizards-of-the-coast.687212/post-8595811

Rumors of Hasbro selling D&D seems to follow a two year news cycle.

 

[Oofta]

What's more likely? Roll for Combat stream has a show that talks about an idea that they admit is based purely on speculation that Tencent is going to buy the D&D IP because Tencent owns 30% of Larian Studios. Following that:

• A website sees the stream or picks up on the rumor elsewhere and repeats effectively the same information while making up an anonymous insider to make it sound official.
• A website independently learns from an insider that Tencent is going to buy the D&D IP, repeating effectively the same information that was on the stream.

I don't think it's a tough call.

 

[Umbran]

I do not think they'd buy another RPG to replace D&D. They would, however, shift focus from RPGs into something else.

Except that, as far as we are aware, the RPG IP is one of the few things in their portfolio that seems to be making money. It is unclear why they'd shelve or sell what is now one of their more successful product lines. While admittedly it has a long lead time, I would expect an attempt to repeat BG3 success over shelving the property.

I agree that they'd not buy another RPG to replace D&D. D&D may not be a goose that always lays golden eggs, but it is a duck that lays silver. Why replace that with a starling that lays lead?

Fans are always quick to jump on the idea that there'll be some major motion around the thing they are a fan of, but that eagerness needs to be tempered with some consideration.

 

[Retreater]

A website sees the stream or picks up on the rumor elsewhere and repeats effectively the same information while making up an anonymous insider to make it sound official.

Glicker does promote himself as something of an industry insider (about game publishing AND video games).

 

[UngainlyTitan]

What's more likely? Roll for Combat stream has a show that talks about an idea that they admit is based purely on speculation that Tencent is going to buy the D&D IP because Tencent owns 30% of Larian Studios. Following that:

• A website sees the stream or picks up on the rumor elsewhere and repeats effectively the same information while making up an anonymous insider to make it sound official.
• A website independently learns from an insider that Tencent is going to buy the D&D IP, repeating effectively the same information that was on the stream.

I don't think it's a tough call.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Christian Hoffer tried to track all this down.

View attachment 344890

Yeah I think its a Master Licience, not buying the whole IP, I don't think they want to get into book publishing. A D&D Master Liciense for Tencent is still a big deal.

Who knows maybe they want Hasbro to do D&D TTRPG adaptions of some of its video games too.

 

[Oofta]

Glicker does promote himself as something of an industry insider (about game publishing AND video games).

Have you watched the show in question? He claims no insider knowledge whatsoever and freely admits it's pure speculation. It's theoretically possible he's right, the odds are incredibly slim. It's far, far more likely this other website is just repeating a rumor and claiming insider knowledge.

 

[Retreater]

Have you watched the show in question? He claims no insider knowledge whatsoever and freely admits it's pure speculation. It's theoretically possible he's right, the odds are incredibly slim. It's far, far more likely this other website is just repeating a rumor and claiming insider knowledge.

Oh yes, I've watched practically every Roll for Combat stream.
While he does say that his idea is speculation, he regularly sprinkles his commentary with phrases like "I know this business," "I've been working in this industry for decades," "I have met with the top people of D&D," etc. So he definitely promotes himself as an "industry insider" - not specifically about a potential Larian deal - but an "industry insider" nonetheless.
So then this article catches his video. They don't cite who it is, so technically he's "anonymous." And he is generally speaking an "insider" in the gaming industry. Ergo, a potentially disreputably news-site can claim he's an "anonymous insider."

 

[Oofta]

Oh yes, I've watched practically every Roll for Combat stream.
While he does say that his idea is speculation, he regularly sprinkles his commentary with phrases like "I know this business," "I've been working in this industry for decades," "I have met with the top people of D&D," etc. So he definitely promotes himself as an "industry insider" - not specifically about a potential Larian deal - but an "industry insider" nonetheless.
So then this article catches his video. They don't cite who it is, so technically he's "anonymous." And he is generally speaking an "insider" in the gaming industry. Ergo, a potentially disreputably news-site can claim he's an "anonymous insider."

But they're still just reporting speculation. No more reason to believe that it is true than the stream.

 

[Clint_L]

Unsourced, uncredited article put out by Chinese media aggregator, repeating speculation from click baiter. I'm taking this one with all the grains of salt.