In brief: The overwhelming success of Baldur's Gate 3 demonstrates gamers' strong desire for quality products set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Hasbro, the conglomerate that owns Wizards of the Coast and the entire D&D franchise, is banking on this appeal to profoundly influence the future development of D&D-based video games.
After selling more than 10 million copies and winning countless awards with Baldur's Gate 3, Larian Studios has decided to halt the production of D&D games for the time being. BG3 is unlikely to receive major DLC, expansions, or a sequel developed by Larian, but this doesn't mean the Baldur's Gate saga is coming to an end. On the contrary, Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro are actively seeking a new developer up to the task.
According to Dan Ayoub, Hasbro's head of digital product development, the massive success of Baldur's Gate 3 has encouraged the corporation to take more significant risks in its digital entertainment offerings. Ayoub confirmed in a recent interview that Hasbro is indeed developing video games internally, with a "considerable" $1 billion investment.
The corporation currently owns four AAA studios developing video games. These include Atomic Arcade, working on a new-generation Snake Eyes G.I. Joe game; Invoke Studios, pursuing its own D&D project; the Texas-based Skeleton Key, delving into "something spooky," as described by Ayoub; and the Austin-based Archetype studio, collaborating with BioWare veteran James Ohlen on a completely new franchise called Exodus.
Hasbro, a century-old company founded on the principles of play, is now looking ahead to the next century, with digital gaming emerging as the primary form of entertainment for many. Ayoub emphasized that in-house game development aligns with this evolution, although Hasbro aims to broaden its offerings beyond D&D, considering its rich portfolio of intellectual properties.
The success of Baldur's Gate 3 underscored the strong demand for well-crafted D&D games, Ayoub noted, signaling a desire for future installments to uphold the same standards of quality, depth, and fidelity as the original tabletop RPG's universe and lore. At the same time, Hasbro is eager to explore new territories, as evidenced by the upcoming G.I. Joe game.
While Hasbro previously ventured into game development with the Hasbro Interactive label, which was eventually sold to Infogrames in 2000, Ayoub indicated that this time would be different. However, he emphasized that the corporation is committed to allowing its development plans to mature organically, without rushing to bring anything to market prematurely.