Would Hasbro be better off without D&D?

[MoogleEmpMog]

Is that because Hasbro makes a point not to include it as part of it's premiere brands? Or is it so small that it isn't worth mentioning?

The latter.

 

[mmadsen]

Provided the D&D line turns a profit, even a relatively small one - no, Hasbro would not be better off without D&D. [...] On the flip side, Hasbro might be better off with the money it could get from selling the D&D brand to a group of investors who overestimated its earnings potential.

Well, that's the question: Is D&D worth more to Hasbro than it's worth to some other company? If the bulk of D&D's profits come from the miniatures, that suggests that being under Hasbro's umbrella is worth something. On the other hand, Hasbro's top management obviously isn't giving D&D much attention, and someone smaller might be able to make more of it.

 

[CharlesRyan]

Brands that make corporate reports are generally those that drive the ups and downs of corporate performance--not necessarily the biggest brands, nor the most important. A brand that chugs along, generating steady, reliable revenue might simply never be mentioned, even if it's one of a company's biggest. (I make no such claim about D&D--one way or the other.)

Just because a brand like D&D isn't a swingy factor in a company's fortunes doesn't mean it's unimportant or invisible to the board of directors. The powers that be at Hasbro definitely know about D&D. And they value it, or at least they did when I was there. And why not? Between the RPG, minis, novels, and licensing, it generates a ton of steady, reliable income. Beyond that, along with MtG, it gives Hasbro a competence and foothold in a market segment their other brands don't really address. It also reaches channels of distribution (such as the book trade) that Hasbro isn't otherwise in, creating some diversity in the sales portfolio. Diversity is valuable in business for exactly the same reasons it's valuable in investment.

Is Hasbro good for D&D? That's a different question, and I guess it depends on what you value in the game. Personally, I think Hasbro's resources give D&D reach it wouldn't otherwise have, including some of the things DaveMage called out.

 

[Zoatebix]

I swear that I've seen the D&D brand mentioned in some Hasbro press or marketing copy in the last six months, but without the time to track down whatever it was that gave me that impression...

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

If D&D is generating a profit for the corporation, and the corporation does not think the resources used for D&D would generate greater profit working on something else, then it is good for them.

The fact that we see new material, and now this new Digital Initiative, which is certainly going to cost some money up front means somebody at Hasbro thinks there is profit potential in sustaining the brand. Changes like this don't happen without somebody making a business case for it.

Would D&D be better off in somebody else's hands? You can ask the same thing about virtually any company, any product, and the answer is - who knows. It depends entirely upon who ends up with it.