The Evolution of Hasbro’s Entertainment Empire: From Board Games to Blockbusters
Hasbro is a company known for producing some of the world’s most popular board games, including Monopoly, Scrabble, and Risk. However, in recent years, the company has expanded its entertainment empire to include blockbuster films, TV shows, and digital games.
The journey of Hasbro’s expansion began in 1984 when it acquired the toy company, Milton Bradley. This acquisition not only brought a new line of board games under Hasbro’s fold, but it also introduced Hasbro to the world of electronic games, a trend that was on the rise at the time.
In the early 2000s, Hasbro started acquiring entertainment companies such as Tiger Electronics, Wizards of the Coast, and Cranium. These acquisitions not only expanded Hasbro’s product line but also brought expertise in gaming and entertainment. Wizards of the Coast, for example, brought Magic: The Gathering, a popular trading card game, and Dungeons & Dragons, a beloved role-playing game, under the Hasbro’s umbrella.
Around the same time, Hasbro started collaborating with Hollywood studios to produce movies based on its popular board games and toy lines. The first major success came in 2007 with the release of Transformers, a movie based on Hasbro’s action figures. The movie was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $700 million worldwide.
Building on their new-found success, Hasbro continued its successful collaborations with Hollywood. In 2011, Hasbro released G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, Battleship in 2012, and Ouija in 2014. Some of these movies were met with critical reception while others were not, but they all helped to cement Hasbro’s place as a major player in the entertainment industry.
However, Hasbro’s biggest success in the entertainment industry came in 2014 with the release of Transformers: Age of Extinction, which grossed over $1.1 billion worldwide. Hasbro’s partnership with Hollywood proved to be a lucrative venture, and the company continued to build on its success with the release of My Little Pony: The Movie in 2017 and Bumblebee in 2018.
Besides Hollywood collaborations, Hasbro is also focusing on developing its digital games. In 2017, Hasbro acquired the mobile game developer Backflip Studios, which specialises in creating games for mobile devices and tablets. The acquisition of Backflip Studios means that Hasbro has a dedicated team of developers to create digital games based on its intellectual properties, including Monopoly and Magic: The Gathering.
In conclusion, Hasbro’s evolution from board game manufacturer to a multimedia entertainment company is a testament to its ability to adapt and innovate. Through acquiring expertise in gaming and entertainment and collaborating with Hollywood studios, Hasbro has been able to create a vast and diverse entertainment empire. With its continued success in the entertainment industry and its focus on digital games, it is evident that Hasbro’s evolution is far from over.
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