The invasion of the ultrabodies is happening right in front of us, non-stop, constantly, but with AI as the protagonist. If the other day we learned that Martin Scorsese had teamed up with an AI agency to make storyboards and that Disney itself was about to give up its characters to make AI Slop, now it’s Hasbro’s turn. Oh. Transformers, more robotic than ever ElevenLabs, a startup for AI-generated audio, has reached an agreement with Hasbro to use its characters and games for commercial use. We’re talking about Monopoly, Transformers, Mr. Potato, and […]
The invasion of the ultrabodies is happening right in front of us, non-stop, constantly, but with AI as the protagonist. If the other day we learned that Martin Scorsese had teamed up with an AI agency to create storyboards and that Disney itself was about to give up its characters to make AI Slop, now it’s Hasbro’s turn. Oh dear.
Transformers, more robotic than ever
ElevenLabs, an AI audio startup, has reached an agreement with Hasbro to use its characters and games for commercial purposes. We’re talking about Monopoly, Transformers, Mr. Potato and their entire collection of celebrity voices that can now tell you exactly what you want in their voice. “Wow, how great, how necessary,” said no one.
“You have many completely new atmospheres and opportunities where your characters can be dynamic and interactive”, stated one of the founders of the AI company, hinting that these AI-generated voices could be used, for example, in character appearances at theme parks. How many lakes have been drained because of this, you ask?
ElevenLabs also has the rights to Stan Lee, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Caine, Judy Garland, Albert Einstein, and David Hasselhoff, who will be able to read you a book or recite your notes. Of course, it won’t be them, but a robot imitating their voice, but if anything goes in 2026, what does it matter? Living in the present doesn’t force us to be happy in it.
Dungeons & Dragons is a franchise with decades behind it. Today being synonymous with role-playing games, few franchises have more prestige and renown associated with them. That’s why it’s not surprising that Hasbro and its subsidiary, Wizards of the Coast, want to exploit it by focusing on its potential for video games. But it seems that their biggest bet to date is not going to see the light of day. According to information from Jason Schreier at Bloomberg, the game has been canceled. A tremendously ambitious game without a public name, we already had quite a bit of information about what the game was going to be. […]
Dungeons & Dragons is a franchise with decades behind it. Today, being synonymous with role-playing games, few franchises have more prestige and renown associated with them. That is why it is not surprising that Hasbro and its subsidiary, Wizards of the Coast, want to exploit it by focusing on its potential for video games. But it seems that their biggest bet to date will not see the light of day. According to information from Jason Schreier at Bloomberg, the game has been canceled.
A tremendously ambitious game
Without a public name, we already had quite a bit of information about what the game was going to be. An AAA action game for a single player developed by Unreal Engine 5 by a newly created studio under the umbrella of Hasbro called Giant Skull, led by Stig Asmussen, director of God of War 3 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Fallen Order. Something they aimed to compete not only against the classic Dungeons & Dragons games, which have always had a medium budget, but to venture into high-budget games. Looking to go head-to-head against titans like EA or Square Enix.
Now the game has been canceled, according to statements from the company itself to Bloomberg. “We have decided not to move forward with an early concept of Giant Skull, but we have great respect for Stig Asmussen and his team, and we value our relationship,” a representative from Hasbro stated.
In any case, this is not the only recent editorial move by Hasbro. A closure of the internal studio Atomic Arcade also occurred in parallel, which was working on a Snake Eyes game, a character from the popular G.I. Joe toy franchise. Although it is not officially canceled, the game does not seem likely to see the light of day. And while they claim to still be interested in publishing video games, with their anticipated Warlock on the horizon, these cancellations raise suspicions that something is going wrong at Hasbro.
Hasbro has confirmed that it is working on future plans for the iconic RPG series Baldur’s Gate, promising news in the near future. According to Dan Ayoub, senior vice president of digital games at Hasbro, the company is in the early stages of planning but hopes to provide more details soon. “We are preparing our plans for the future and what we are going to do with that,” Ayoub stated in an interview during the recent Game Developers Conference. Baldur’s Gate 3 continues to be updated. On the other hand, Larian Studios, the developer of Baldur’s Gate 3, is preparing to release the […]
Hasbro has confirmed that it is working on future plans for the iconic RPG series Baldur’s Gate, promising news in the near future. According to Dan Ayoub, senior vice president of digital games at Hasbro, the company is in the early stages of planning but hopes to provide more details soon. “We are preparing our plans for the future and what we are going to do with that,” Ayoub stated in an interview during the recent Game Developers Conference.
Baldur’s Gate 3 while it continues to update
On the other hand, Larian Studios, the developer of Baldur’s Gate 3, is preparing to release the anticipated Patch 8, which is expected to be their last major update. This patch will include 12 new subclasses, cross-play functionality, and a photo mode, among other minor changes. Larian has indicated that their focus will shift to their next RPG project, which will not be related to Baldur’s Gate.
In April 2024, Hasbro also mentioned that they are in talks with several partners for the development of the next Baldur’s Gate game. The company’s hope is that it won’t take as long as between the previous releases, a wait of 25 years between Baldur’s Gate 2 and 3. Hasbro is confident that Baldur’s Gate 4 could be on the way before 2048, which would be a relief for fans of the franchise.
With the announcement of new developments, Baldur’s Gate fans are experiencing growing anticipation. Meanwhile, the community can continue to enjoy the available RPG experiences while waiting for these future announcements to materialize. This situation is conducive to further exploring not only the world of Baldur’s Gate but also other notable titles in the genre.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is the latest installment of the legendary role-playing game saga set in the iconic world of Dungeons & Dragons. After 20 years of waiting, Larian Studios (Divinity: Original Sin, Divinity II) takes over from BioWare and Black Isle Studios to forge a title that promises to set new standards for the genre. With a fresh and innovative approach, while staying true to its roots, BG3 welcomes you to what is undoubtedly set to be the most influential RPG in recent years. Would you like to know why?
Hasbro has announced a collaboration with Legendary Entertainment to produce a live-action movie based on the popular card game Magic: The Gathering, followed by a television series. This initiative could mark the beginning of an ambitious cinematic universe aimed at attracting both fans of the franchise and new audiences. Mary Parent, the president of worldwide production at Legendary, emphasized the importance of Magic: The Gathering as a unique and beloved intellectual property, stating that they are excited about the potential of this collaboration. Legendary Entertainment, a name with great successes behind it […]
Hasbro has announced a collaboration with Legendary Entertainment to produce a live-action movie based on the popular card game Magic: The Gathering, followed by a television series. This initiative could mark the beginning of an ambitious cinematic universe aimed at attracting both fans of the franchise and new audiences. Legendary’s President of Worldwide Production, Mary Parent, emphasized the importance of Magic: The Gathering as a unique and beloved intellectual property, stating that they are excited about the potential of this collaboration.
Legendary Entertainment, a name with great successes behind it
Legendary Entertainment is known for co-producing successful films such as Batman Begins and Warcraft, as well as acclaimed series like The Expanse. Legendary’s experience suggests that the team has the ability to bring to life the rich narrative and extensive lore surrounding Magic: The Gathering, which could result in a satisfying experience for both fans of the game and new viewers.
On the other hand, Netflix also previously announced the development of an animated series based on Magic: The Gathering. However, it is unclear if this production will be connected with the Hasbro and Legendary project, leaving open the possibility of having parallel universes within the same franchise. This event has generated speculation among enthusiasts about how these different adaptations will be integrated.
Although a release date for the movie has not been revealed, suggesting that it might be in development for an extended period, rumors about the possible cast have begun to emerge. Actors such as Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, and Jack Black are mentioned, although in which specific roles they might appear remains uncertain. The wait to see this ambitious adaptation could be long, but interest continues to grow around the future of Magic: The Gathering on the big and small screen. Meanwhile, we can always enjoy its new collection.
There is a Monopoly for absolutely everything. Absolutely. Everything. If there is a piece of pop culture, someone has thought, “Well, we can make a Monopoly out of this, why not?” There are versions for every country, every popular franchise, every capital, and… Well, you get the idea. And how could there not be a Christmas version? Grab your mistletoe, prepare your best carols, and dive into the most absurd madness: the game you never wanted to play. Ho, ho, ho-rrendous. To be honest, this is the same game as always but with a skin on top that replaces the streets […]
There is a Monopoly of absolutely everything. Of. Absolutely. Everything. If there is a piece of pop culture, there is someone who has thought “Well, a Monopoly can be made of this, why not?”. There are versions for every country, every popular franchise, every capital, of… Well, you get the idea. And how could there not be a Christmas version? Grab your mistletoe, prepare your best carols and dive into the most absurd madness: the game you never wanted to play.
Being honest, this is the same game as always but with a skin on top that replaces the streets with all kinds of craziness, in a clear exercise of “Running out of ideas.” The game was released in 2015 (and subsequent years) in a “limited edition” and delivers what it promises: it’s easy to learn, you’ll spend hours and hours bored in front of a board and you can buy spaces like “Santa“, “Advent Calendar”, “Christmas Tree” or “Snowman.” Why would you put hotels there? Who knows.
Additionally, sometimes you will have to enforce the “Scrooge Tax,” or money for falling into the “Christmas Party.” It comes with six unique game figures (which you can imagine what they are and how they look), exclusive “Santa’s Sack” and “Christmas Crackers” cards… And the game is practically the same, just themed. If you are a crazy fan of Monopoly and Christmas, this is your game. If not, it’s hell on Earth. Hey! If you still want more “Christmas cheer,” there’s also an exclusive version dedicated to the Hallmark channel! So many emotions on a single board!
According to the CEO of Hasbro, generative AI is the future, but given the consequences of his words, it doesn’t seem like that’s going to be the case.
Many large companies want to maximize their profits at any cost. Something that they have found in generative AIs that benefits them particularly. If we don’t pay attention to any kind of ethical or artistic value, as long as their use is not more strictly regulated, many CEOs and executives will see them as a way to generate cheap content. That’s what has recently happened with Hasbro. With as negative opposition as one would expect in this situation.
It all started on March 1st, when Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks gave an interview to Venture Beat where he made some potentially controversial statements. The worst of them was that with 50 years of Dungeons & Dragons stories and 35 years of Magic: The Gathering cards, Hasbro has a very deep and interesting vein to mine to feed generative AI. Literally tens of millions of words and over 15,000 cards that, in his own words, “we can exploit.”
Of course, these words did not sit well with fans of both Wizards of the Coast franchises, owner of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, and a subsidiary of Hasbro. Something that was noticed on social media in a radical way, but that ended up reaching further.
According to Denman Rooke, an artist working on Magic: The Gathering, he and other artists from the company wrote an open letter to Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro expressing their strong opposition to Generative AI. They state that if they were to feed the AI with their work, they would immediately stop working for Wizards of the Coast. This is something they do not wish to do, as they are passionate about their work, but they are willing to do it for the sake of their own art.
Unfortunately, the matter did not end here. Because some dissatisfied social media users took the opportunity to resurface a comment from the head designer of Magic: The Gathering, Mark Rosewater.
On his Tumblr page where he answers user questions, Blogatog, Rosewater was asked about his opinion on using artificial intelligence specifically to assist with game design and balancing. To this, Rosewater replied that he believes artificial intelligence will be a tool that will be used one day, but that there is still a long way to go until that moment arrives. Some users decided to interpret this in the worst possible way, associating it with Cocks’ position on AI.
Of course, there are clear differences between what Rosewater and Cocks say. The former does not say that it is desirable to use AI nor is it in his power to make the final decision of whether it is used or not. Something that does not happen with the latter. Similarly, not all uses of AI are harmful to workers and the public. Graphic designers, artists, scientists, and programmers have been using AI for years to assist them in their work, and it would be reasonable if there came a point where it was also possible for board game designers. Because while all generative AIs are AIs, not all AIs are generative AIs. And only the latter are harmful.
In any case, the pressure on Hasbro seems to have worked. On March 19th, the American company issued a statement stating that they are responsible for using these generative AIs in a way that does not harm artists. That is why they have given their teams the ability to decide if these tools are beneficial for the business, the fans, and the community.
All this shows the extremely turbulent moment we are living in. Generative AIs seem to be here to stay, at least until they are regulated by governments, but the reaction to the CEO of Hasbro’s words shows that it doesn’t have to be something that happens if we don’t want it to. Now we just need to not demonize an entire technology because of one harmful aspect of it.
With Hasbro at the helm, the Power Rangers are getting a new movie with a new cast.
Dacre Montgomery, the Red Ranger from the 2017 Power Rangers movie, has announced that there will be another Power Rangers movie, but it will star a new cast.
Montgomery spilled the beans in an interview with IGN. If you didn’t see “Power Rangers,” you probably know Montgomery from his role as Billy on “Stranger Things.”
Last year, Hasbro purchased the rights to Power Rangers from the entertainment company Saban. Hasbro is working with Paramount Pictures to make the new movie. A release date has not been set.
This is a bit worrisome as Hasbro doesn’t exactly have a good history with making movies. Does anyone remember the Battleship movie or the Ouija movie?
Woof.
Still, Hasbro hit a box office grand slam with the loud, noisy, stupid Transformers movies. Maybe they’ll ring that bell again.
We’re going to keep our expectations low. They were low for the 2017 film, but clearly, they should have been subterranean. Hopefully, Hasbro sees the error of their ways and writes a better story, uses better actors and actresses, and gets a budget for better CG.
