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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dragonblade" data-source="post: 7647955" data-attributes="member: 2804">Hasbro re-acquired the D&D videogame rights in a settlement with Atari. It was late last year I believe.Hasbro is not a video game studio, so it would be foolish for them to develop their own game. What they would do, is go out into the market and see what companies are out there, and who is interested in the D&D IP. Ideally, WotC should go to a promising young studio like Runic Games, who made the incredibly popular game "Torchlight", and offer them the rights to use the D&D brand name and IP in exchange for a modest share of profits. Or configure some other deal that is mutually beneficial. Though, you want to make money, the initial goal here is to rebuild the brand's stature in the PC/console market. The big money comes later, and a talented studio like Runic Games is a perfect partner with a proven track record, but who could benefit from leveraging the D&D IP with their already strong game engine.All the classic D&D games were successfully licensed to other studios. Hasbro never made any of those games directly. Nor should they. They are not a game studio.I'm not a big MMO fan, and there are a lot of subpar MMO's out there, but they do make money. That said, if I were Hasbro, I'd partner with a promising young company like Runic Games that made the first Torchlight to earn enough funding for an MMO and go from there. Otherwise, I'd let companies come to me and listen to their pitches and choose the best one, or not. Realms, Eberron, and Dark Sun are all solid IP. I imagine you can find a partner willing to shoulder most of the risk and financial burden for access to that IP. And if not, then sit on it for now. Grow the D&D brands footprint in videogames first through quality console and PC games and then get into an MMO when the opportunity is right.Sounded like the talks with Warner back in 2008 fell through. I don't know the details, but it should absolutely be revisited. A popular animated series would drive the brand in a way that nothing else could and would be a huge boost for all D&D products. HUGE boost.The thing that people don't get about brand marketing is that it is a symbiotic relationship. In other words, if the product you slap your name on sucks, then it lowers the status of your brand. If the product itself is good and popular, it actually strengthens the brand as a whole. The original Baldur's Gate games were amazing in their own right, not just because they had the D&D name on it. And because they were amazing, it raised the profile of D&D among video game players and also caused the reverse to be true. Games with the D&D name on it then got more attention and were more likely to sell because the previous games were so good.Making crappy B movies on the sci-fi channel, or authorizing that horrendous DL animated film a few years ago needs to end. Now. The D&D brand needs to be treated like the precious commodity it is. You need to pick and choose only the right projects and grow and nurture it carefully.If Hasbro came to me and said, DB, we like how you think. You get access to all of Hasbro and WotC's resources and employees, and 5 years to do whatever you want with the D&D brand. I guarantee I could turn it into at least $50 million business in that time, if not a full blown mega brand. I GUARANTEE IT. Thats how confident I am in the power of the IP that WotC is sitting on. I'm talking animated series, toy lines, TRPG, videogames, the works.</blockquote>

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