Hasbro preps an edgy Snake Eyes adventure, hires a Dragon Age dev, and teases Transformers, as it ramps up its games strategy

Plus: How Microsoft's gaming AI helper will work, a brief chat with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's combat director, some internal Ubisoft comms about Assassin's Creed, and a new games journalism Substack

The iconic cover of Marvel Comics’ GI Joe #53, circa 1986, featuring Hasbro super-ninja Snake Eyes. Cover drawn by Mike Zeck and John Beatty

The games are coming soon, Dan Ayoub told me at GDC.

Ayoub is the head of digital gaming at Wizards of the Coast, the branch of Hasbro in charge of branching out into video game development—at the company you probably know for Transformers, Mr. Potato Head, My Little Pony… Peppa Pig? Beyblade, maybe?

But you may not think “video games” when you think Hasbro, not unless you’ve thought about its ties to some recent and extremely successful video games that other companies have made using its brands. I’m talking about the Larian-developed Baldur’s Gate III, which used Hasbro/WotC’s Dungeons & Dragons license, and Scopely’s massive mobile game Monopoly Go.

Though, maybe you’ve read my articles over the last couple of years? Perhaps you caught my 2022 interview with Ayoub’s predecessor in which I reported that “Hasbro plans to make a lot more video games”?

Or maybe you’re familiar with my 2024 Game File report headlined “Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast have ‘about 40’ video game projects in the works”?

Am I really writing this article for a third time?

Not quite.

Things are finally close, Ayoub promised when we spoke in San Francisco last week. He confirmed that Hasbro has four internal studios working on big-budget games, including one that’s been caught up in some not-quite-accurate reporting recently. And it’s all supposed to start rolling out in 2026.