The Business: Tencent Looks At Buying Current Edition- Told You There's No Future, Cargo Cult

Yesterday, word got out that Hasbro is looking to sell The Only Game That Matters and Tencent was interested.

Speed Daily exclusively learned that the American toy company Hasbro is seeking to sell its well-known IP “Dungeons & Dragons” (referred to as “DND” below), and Tencent is one of the potential buyers.

At present, the negotiations are still in the early stages and both parties have not yet reached an agreement on the details of the transaction.

According to informed sources, the financial crisis faced by Hasbro is the main reason for considering the sale of DND, and Tencent Investment’s Larian Studios is acting as an intermediary in this transaction. Larian Studios’ game “Baldur’s Gate 3” won the TGA Game of the Year award in 2023 and is considered one of the most successful adaptations of DND. As a result, it was seen as a potential target buyer by Hasbro. However, due to insufficient funds, Larian ultimately introduced this deal to shareholder Tencent.

Even if this comes to naught, even if this is a nothingburger, the very fact that this is talked about at all possible means Conventional Play is DONE.

If you think Hasbro is hostile to the tabletop hobby, Tencent is both alien and hostile- everything Hasbro is doing will be accelerated and intensified.

If it goes through or not does not matter. What matters is that a clear signal is now sent.

That signal: The brand is ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE more valuable AS A VIDEOGAME BRAND than on tabletop.

If Tencent bought it, tabletop would be gutted as if it were butchering a pig, and all you'd see hereafter would be videogames and tie-in media wearing the brand. This is what Hasbro wants to do with it. Tabletop would be relegated as a "legacy" interest, strung along with PDFs and POD offerings because that has sweet fuck-all for overhead or other expenses, and monitored by an intern since there would be no reason to keep in-house talent to handle it.

And, as has been demonstrated repeated over the last 50 years, where Current Edition goes, so goes Conventional Play.

This is a clear signal that my take is correct: Magic-Users is aiming to yank the pillar propping up Conventional Play out from under it. You lot have no future.