Contrary to recent reports, Hasbro has denied that it has any intention of selling its Dungeons & Dragon IP to the Chinese-owned entertainment conglomerate Tencent.
As previously reported, word of Hasbro’s supposed intent to sell the most recognizable tabletop IP in history to Tencent was first raised on January 29th courtesy of the the China-based financial news outlet Speed Daily.
Per “people familiar with the matter” who allegedly spoke to the outlet (as translated via DeepL), negotiations between the two entities over the rights to D&D were “still in the early stages”, with both sides having “yet to agree on the details of the deal”.
Further, a supposed source from within the Tencent Interactive Entertainment Group (the company arm responsible for managing their video game, esports, and overseas operations) told Speed Daily that the company had already “come forward to conduct consultations with the intention of taking a series of rights, including the rights to adapt D&D video games.”
“Tencent currently holds a lot of top IP game adaptation rights,” recapped Speed Daily of the information the source relayed, “but because most of the authorization model is not a one-time buyout, resulting in Tencent not only need to bear the high copyright fees and long-term revenue sharing, but also often in the research and development and operation of the partner’s constraints.”
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Yet, despite how believable this move sounded given the company’s falling financials, it appears that this rumor was just that.
Addressing the whisper in a statement released to the media, as shared to the public by Comicbook.com correspondent Christian Hoffer, Wizards of the Coast clarified, “We regularly talk to Tencent and enjoy multiple partnerships with them across a number of our IPs. We don’t make a habit of commenting on internet rumors, but to be clear: we are not looking to sell our D&D IP.”
“We will keep talking to partners about how we bring the best digital experiences to our fans,” the company added. “We won’t comment any further on speculation or rumors about potential [mergers and acquisitions] or licensing deals.”
As noted above, this rumor was given more credence by the general public due to the fact that Hasbro is currently in the midst of an ongoing financial collapse.
In 2019, the toy manufacturer’s stock price hit a record high of $123.67 USD and remained firmly above $90 USD throughout most of the year.
And though the company’s value suffered an unsurprising drop in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it took only seven months (March – October) for it to climb back up past the $90 USD line.
However, after posting a post-lockdown recovery record of $102.89 per share in January 2022, thanks to a number of factors including an over-extension of their licensing operations (as seen in the ongoing crossover of various outside franchises into Magic: The Gathering) and their abandonment of long-time fans of their various properties in favor of new and ‘wider audiences‘, Hasbro’s stock now currently sits at the significantly reduced price point of just $49.90 USD per share.