This article was originally published on August 29, 2025 - read the full issue here

By Marie Dealessandri

Wizards Of The Coast just announced the hiring of 15 staff from the late Cliffhanger Games, including veteran creative and game director Michael de Plater (Monolith Productions, WB Games, Ubisoft) – a clear sign that the firm's videogame strategy has moved up another gear.

In a conversation with Knowledge, John Hight (president of Wizards Of The Coast and digital gaming at Hasbro) enthuses about having been able to keep that core team together following the shuttering of the EA-owned studio in May and the cancellation of Black Panther. They'll now incubate a new project at Wizards, with De Plater as game director and studio head.

Capitalising on IP

"I believed in where [De Plater] wanted to go with [his] next game, mechanically and in what he was trying to evoke in players," Hight says. "Now it's about what IP best suits the type of game that he wants to build."

The idea is to settle on a concept that has a "good business case" and "matches Wizards' remit" – a creative process similar to what the firm has been through with external developers. It signed a publishing deal with Giant Skull earlier this year, with the LA-based studio now working on a D&D game led by Star Wars Jedi director Stig Asmussen.

"[Asmussen] had a lot of success taking the Star Wars IP and expressing those characters," Hight reflects. "He got excited about the idea of doing a D&D game because he realised [that] right off the bat, we've got 60 million people playing D&D today – and they influence people."

He notes that Hasbro benefits from its IPs being multi-generational, which is why it's betting on its properties to double down on videogames, taking a side step from the licensing model to handle things internally.

"It's pretty unique to find brands that can make that transition, that can survive through generations, and a lot of it is through evolution within a genre. For us, it's always [about] where the next great ideas are. Because if we can couple innovative gameplay with a beloved IP then I think that's the formula for success – or at least it minimises the risks."

Something old, something new

That's not to say Wizards doesn't have ambitions to create new properties. But it's taking things slow. Among its internal studios, Atomic Arcade is developing a game based on GI Joe's Snake Eyes, Invoke is creating a D&D action-adventure game, Skeleton Key is working on a horror project, and Archetype is developing sci-fi RPG Exodus.

Wizards' Digital Ventures branch (which is currently looking for its leader) is set to become "an incubation space for new franchises," Hight says, whether it's new IP such as Exodus or existing Hasbro brands turned into digital games.

"Eventually we get it right, [which] will give birth to a new franchise."

He continues: "Our goal is to have two premium games per year out of our publishing group, and then we'll have varying degrees of games that are co-ventures, like what we announced with Saber Interactive. We [also] want to make some investments in smaller innovative ideas that could perhaps grow into something bigger."

Solo action-adventure games are set to be Wizards' primary genre, but multiplayer is on the cards as the firm "grows as a publisher," Hight says. The majority of his career has focused on live-service multiplayer games – he joined Wizards last year off the back of a 12-year stint at Blizzard where he was the Warcraft franchise GM.

"[We want] to make sure that we've created a clear world [first], characters and stories that people can get attached to and resonate with.

Betting on the right horse

Minimising risks remains key in today's market, even for a company as big as Hasbro. Hight identifies the importance of a team's experience, talent and track record when it comes to making picks as a publisher. But he also notes more practical aspects: being familiar with Unreal Engine and embracing playtesting at every stage of development.

The industry is in mutation, with a shift towards double-A coming both from the top and the bottom: indie developers have become more ambitious, while triple-A studios are aiming for smaller scopes and budgets. Lots of new players have emerged, and funding remains a challenge. In this context, we ask Hight if it's more difficult for Wizards to bet on new teams.

"You should come back and ask me that question in a year," he smiles. "It takes more work – you have to wade through a lot of proposals and people. Everybody dearly wants to make a game. Everybody has a great idea. But finding the right synergy between us as a publisher, them as a developer, the IP, the timing of things… I don't really want to develop a game in a genre where there are already a lot of big games. There has to be some unique aspect to the game. If it's a shooter, there's a couple of top players, and that's what most players are going to gravitate towards, but if you've got an interesting hook, then that's what I'm curious about."

We mention the Baldur's Gate-shaped elephant in the room. Wizards has been vocal about wanting to make a fourth opus, even with BG3 developer Larian Studios out of the equation. We ask Hight how he envisions that transition, which ends up being a solid metaphor for Wizards' strategy as a whole.

"Great games come from the vision of a creator or a team, right? And [with] everything that we do, it isn't the [IP's] name, it isn't the [Hasbro] brands that are going to carry the game. It gets you in the door, because there's something familiar about it. That's why I think we're seeing a lot of players gravitating towards sequels and known brands; the most precious thing they have is their time. It's difficult to get new IP launched today. We have very recognisable brands, but it's the gameplay that's going to keep them."

This article was originally published on August 29, 2025 - read the full issue here