In recent days, reports have surfaced that Larian Studios, the creators of Baldur’s Gate 3, are in negotiations with Hasbro to purchase the huge fantasy license “Dungeons & Dragons,” on which their hit role-playing game is based. The Chinese giant Tencent (LoL) was said to be involved in the deal. Now the head of Larian and Wizards of the Coast are speaking out.
Here’s what the rumor said: A Chinese site reported on January 30th (via speed-daily):
- Hasbro plans to sell its “Dungeons and Dragons” license to Tencent because they are in a financial crisis.
- Originally, Hasbro wanted to sell to Larian Studios, the makers of the excellent Baldur’s Gate 3, but they lacked the funds – hence Tencent got involved, holding 30% of Larian. The penguin owns just about everything.
- It was unclear whether Tencent was to buy the entire “Dungeons and Dragons” license or just the right to develop video games in the Dungeons & Dragons universe.
We reported on the rumor in MeinMMO in the context of an article about Tencent on February 1st.
Vincke contradicts the rumor
What the head of Baldur’s Gate 3 says: The boss of Larian, Swen Vincke says (via twitter):
“It’s silly that I would write a tweet about not buying something that’s not for sale, so I won’t. But just in case you’re wondering: We aren’t doing it. Hope that clarifies it.”
Apparently, this means: No, they will not be buying the license.
Wizards of the Coast (Hasbro) say: We are not selling
What the Wizards of the Coast say: The Wizards of the Coast are part of the Hasbro group and are responsible for Dungeons and Dragons. They say [Statement available to MeinMMO]:
“We regularly speak with Tencent and maintain several partnerships with them regarding a number of our IPs. Normally, we do not comment on rumors from the internet, but to be clear: We do not plan to sell our D&D IP. We will continue to work with partners on how to create the best digital experiences for our fans. We will not be providing further comments on speculation or rumors regarding potential M&A or licensing deals.”
This is clearly a strong denial.
Here is our article about the difficult situation of Tencent, in which we picked up the rumor:
Powerful gaming company behind LoL stumbles, allegedly wants to buy Dungeons & Dragons
