Latest news with #WizardsoftheCoast
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Wizards of the Coast unveils ‘Magic: The Gathering' and ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender' crossover at MagicCon Las Vegas 2025
Image credit: X/Twitter Wizards of the Coast gave fans a first look at its highly anticipated collaboration between 'Magic: The Gathering' (MTG) and 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' at MagicCon Las Vegas 2025 . The reveal included a sneak peek at the artwork and abilities for the Avatar Aang and Aang, Master of Elements cards. The introduction of Aang into the MTG universe was showcased with a time-lapse video detailing the creation of the new hand-drawn art. A detailed preview of the Magic: The Gathering and Avatar: The Last Airbender collaboration is scheduled for August 12, with the full release set for November 21. Magic The Gathering X Avatar The Last Airbender: Avatar Aang and other feature cards One of the featured cards, Avatar Aang, is a Legendary Creature – Human Avatar Ally that has the ability: "Whenever you waterbend, earthbend, firebend, or airbend, draw a card. Then, if you've done all four this turn, transform Avatar Aang." This mechanic hints at a dynamic gameplay experience that mirrors Aang's journey to master all four elements. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like God's people need you IFCJ | The Fellowship Donate Now Undo On the other hand, there's the space-themed Aang, Master of Elements, Legendary Creature – Avatar Ally card. Unlike Avatar Aang, which depicts the character in his all-powerful Avatar state, this version highlights Aang accessing his abilities differently. This card states, 'At the beginning of each upkeep, you may transform Aang, Master of Elements. If you do, you gain 4 life, draw four cards, put four +1/+1 counters on him, and he deals 4 damage to each opponent.' The latest collaboration follows a recent crossover that added a collection of Final Fantasy cards, featuring characters and locations from across the franchise, such as Cloud, Moogles, Tidus, Sephiroth, Noctis, and others. The release has been well-received, leading to notable price increases for many of the cards. 5 Must-Have Gadgets for Your Next Beach Holiday to Stay Safe, Cool & Connected
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Why Dungeons & Dragons storytelling duo signed with Critical Role
Cartoons, comic books, video games and now tabletop games. The team at Critical Role Productions, the entertainment company that grew out of the web series 'Critical Role,' featuring voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons, continues to expand its media footprint with its newest hires — former Wizards of the Coast game gurus Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford. Perkins and Crawford, who led the Dungeons & Dragons design team for decades, have literally helped write the books on the most popular role-playing game in history. Perkins was the creative director for Dungeons & Dragons, overseeing the story direction, while Crawford was the game director, overseeing the rules. Their departure from the game publisher Wizards of the Coast earlier this year had fans wondering what their next move would be. Now the news is out that they will be joining Critical Role's Darrington Press game division. 'I was committed to staying with Wizards until after D&D's 50th anniversary, which gave me lots of time to work on succession planning and exit strategies,' Perkins said. 'What brought me out of retirement was the chance to work with Jeremy and the brilliant folks at Critical Role on things that have a lasting, positive impact on the world.' 'Chris and I talked about his retirement plan for years, so his approaching departure was long on my mind. When we sent the new D&D rule books to the printer last year, I felt it was time to explore a new chapter for myself,' Crawford said. 'I love the game and its team, but 18 years is a long time. I was ready for a new adventure. The chapter that we've now opened feels like coming home — resuming work with Chris and returning to Southern California.' Darrington Press CEO Travis Willingham, also a voice actor, stressed the importance of landing the game masters and what it could mean for the growth of this side of the Critical Role company. 'They are two of the biggest names that we're certainly aware of and that have influenced TTRPGs and the games that we played,' said Willingham, using the acronym for tabletop role-playing games. 'When we first caught wind that they were thinking about taking time off from where they were at,' Willingham continued, 'we said, 'Hey, listen, we're over here making cool nerdy things. If it's ever of interest to come over to Critical Role and mess around with what we're doing, we would love to have a conversation.' When you look at the opportunity to bring in 15, 17 years of experience, pedigree, pipeline, timeline, management, all of those things from really the granddaddy system of them all, that is always extremely interesting. It's a chance to level up everyone around here as well.' That mutual respect and a longtime friendship is what drew Perkins and Crawford to Darrington Press. 'Critical Role creates wonderful entertainment that is deeply meaningful to the people who work there and to fans around the world,' Perkins said. 'What brought me out of retirement was the chance to work with Jeremy and the brilliant folks at Critical Role on things that have a lasting, positive impact on the world.' 'Chris and I have had the pleasure of working with and befriending members of Critical Role over the last 10 years, and we've long admired their work and spirit,' Crawford said. 'When they approached us about joining them, we happily said yes. It meant we could continue our creative partnership in a company whose mission and people we believe in.' Beyond the Monopoly generation, tabletop games have seen a rise in popularity with titles like Settlers of Catan (now just Catan) and others. To continue that rise, Perkins and Crawford believe there have to be more people involved in not only playing, but creating the games. 'First, we believe there's strength in diversity,' Perkins and Crawford said in a joint email response to follow-up questions about their plans. 'Diverse creators and diverse games help to create an industry that feels more inviting to everyone. The more people we welcome into the proverbial tent, the more powerful the industry becomes. 'Second, we think it's important for the industry to acknowledge that friendly, introductory experiences are important for onboarding new generations of gamers. Third, we hope the industry never loses the joy of play. So many of us became game designers, game masters and players because of the spark of joy we felt when we first tried a role-playing game. Let's continue to fan that spark into a flame that fills everything we do with infectious delight.' So, are there already ideas brewing for Darrington and the duo? 'Oh, heaven's yes!,' Perkins said. And that's about all they'd say about that.
Business Wire
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Wire
Hasbro Celebrates International Day of Play with Global Initiatives to Expand Access to Play
PAWTUCKET, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), a leading games, IP and toy company, is proud to celebrate the second annual International Day of Play (IDOP) on June 11, 2025. Through an epic new family-friendly DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adventure and meaningful community partnerships, Hasbro is bringing more ways to play to children, fans and families around the world. Recognized globally as a day to elevate play to the world stage, IDOP advocates for increased time, space, and quality of play as a fundamental right for every child. 'This International Day of Play, we're calling on everyone to make more space for play,' said Theron Grim, Vice President, EHS, Sustainability, and Corporate Citizenship at Hasbro. 'In a world where loneliness is rising and access to play isn't equal, we know it has the power to build friendships, boost emotional well-being, and spark lifelong skills like problem-solving, collaboration, and empathy. Whether it's through roleplaying games like DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, hands-on creativity with PLAY-DOH, or programs in hospitals and schools, we're all in on expanding access to play for every child and every fan.' Hasbro's 2025 IDOP highlights: Join the party and embark on an all-new D&D quest Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast are dropping a brand-new, family-friendly D&D adventure, Borderlands Quest: Goblin Trouble —available to download at no cost for registered users on D&D Beyond, or at 300+ Wizards Play Network retail locations across the U.S. Designed for players of all ages and experience levels, it's the perfect introduction to the World's Greatest Roleplaying Game ®. To download the adventure, fans must first register here on D&D Beyond at no cost. For a list of participating WPN stores across North America, click here: Powering up play with Boys & Girls Clubs of America Hasbro's Wizards of the Coast is piloting official afterschool D&D clubs at 10 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide, complete with mini libraries, game materials, and support to train the next generation of Dungeon Masters. To celebrate, Hasbro volunteers will be visiting a local Boys & Girls Club to bring the fun in person. Delivering joy to pediatric patients Together with Starlight Children's Foundation, Hasbro is offering D&D adventures to all Starlight U.S. partner hospitals (800+ locations) and toy deliveries to kids at six children's hospitals across the U.S., including in Providence, Seattle, Austin, Durham, and Los Angeles. Hasbro employees will be on-site in Seattle and Los Angeles to help lead gameplay and deliver joy. In London, Hasbro is partnering with Spread a Smile to host interactive play sessions at four London hospitals, bringing laughter and comfort to hospitalized children and their families. Play around the world From London to Singapore to Pawtucket, Hasbro teams are hosting office playdays and teaming up with local nonprofits to bring play to their communities, including Special Effect, City Year, and the Singapore Children's Museum. The International Day of Play (IDOP), adopted by the UN in March 2024, is a global advocacy day dedicated to recognizing play as a fundamental human right. Celebrated annually on June 11, IDOP calls on governments, organizations, and communities to ensure all children have time, space, and access to quality play. About Hasbro Hasbro is a leading games, IP, and toy company whose mission is to create joy and community through the magic of play. With over 100 years of expertise, Hasbro delivers engaging play and entertainment experiences across a broad portfolio of iconic brands, including MAGIC: THE GATHERING, MONOPOLY, NERF, PLAY-DOH, PEPPA PIG, and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, as well as premier partner brands. Hasbro connects with fans through toys, games, digital gaming, consumer products, and entertainment. Through its franchise-first approach, Hasbro unlocks value from both new and legacy IP, powered by a portfolio of thousands of iconic marks and a diversified network of partners and subsidiary studios. For more information, visit
Engadget
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
A single-player Dungeons & Dragons game is in development
Stig Asmussen, the game industry veteran who directed God of War III and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Fallen Order , is developing a single-player action-adventure game set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons in partnership with publisher Wizards of the Coast . This will be the first project for Asmussen's studio Giant Skull since its founding in late 2023. In a press release sent to Engadget, the studio shared it is "dedicated to building gameplay-driven, story-immersed action-adventure games." The new project will be built on the Unreal 5 engine and is currently in development for PC, with console details coming at a later date. No specific release dates, renderings or game content has been shared as of yet, making it unlikely this game will be out before 2026. John Hight, president of Wizards of the Coast (the owners of the iconic tabletop RPG), said "Stig and the team at Giant Skull are exactly the type of exceptionally talented creators we want to work with and I'm so happy to be reuniting with him on this new project.' Stig Asmussen shared that the studio's goal is to "craft a rich new Dungeons & Dragons universe filled with immersive storytelling, heroic combat and exhilarating traversal that players will fully embrace." This new project comes as Wizards of the Coast moves on from its deal with developer Larian Studios, the team behind the widely-acclaimed Baldur's Gate 3 . The Hasbro -owned publisher has a slew of games in the pipeline in partnership with various game studios in the United States and Canada. These include the sci-fi RPG Exodus , which is being developed by Archetype Entertainment, and Atomic Arcade's Snake Eyes , which is based on the G.I. Joe.
Metro
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Baldur's Gate 3 may have the worst video game merchandise ever made
A set of figurines depicting the main characters from Baldur's Gate 3 has been upsetting and amusing fans in equal measure, as a refund is offered by the manufacturer. Most people like to own a physical memento of their favourite games, whether it's a T-shirt, key ring, or some kind of action figure or statute. You can get all that and more for most big name video games, although there has perhaps been less for smash hit Baldur's Gate 3 than you might expect. Board game maker WizKids has attempted to fill that gap in the market with a range of miniatures recreating the game's lead characters, but the end result has, to put things mildly, been something of a disappointment. The Dungeons & Dragons: Icons Of The Realms – Baldur's Gate 3 is a set of seven figurines that costs £49.99 in the UK. That's relatively cheap for this sort of thing, which is already a red flag, although no one was prepared for just how bad the final product has turned out. Although the official promotional images all seem quite impressive, the actual toys don't look anything like them. As one fan on Reddit pointed out, the underlying miniatures are perfectly fine but the paint seems to have been applied by someone that's either partially sighted, drunk, or both. Other fans on Reddit compared it, unfavourably, to the work of Picasso and the infamous 'Potato Jesus' restoration of a 19th century fresco in Spain. The characters are Astarion, Karlach, Gale, Shadowheart, Wyll, Lae'zel, and Withers; they're all awful but Shadowheart seems to have come off the worst, at least in terms of the photos that have been posted online – but it's very likely the quality varies greatly. To their credit, WizKids has admitted the set is awful and is offering a full refund. 'Unfortunately, we missed the mark on this goal with the D&D Icons of the Realms: Baldur's Gate 3 Character Boxed Set,' says a statement on their website. More Trending 'We're aware of the recent reports and complaints and are taking them seriously. Our team is currently investigating these issues and taking action to make this right for those whose purchases were negatively affected and to ensure these issues do not recur in future products and reprints. 'Please accept our sincerest apologies for the frustration and disappointment these quality issues caused our customers. We, too, feel the same as the final product did not meet our expectations or that of our Wizards of the Coast partner.' After a quick google we found the set being sold at Zatu Games for a reduced price of £43.19. There's also what looks to be blind box versions of the same characters plus additional enemies and monsters at Forbidden Planet. There don't seem to be any specific reports about the quality of those, but for obvious reasons you might want to think twice before giving them a try. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 OLED Model is happening if Samsung gets its way MORE: The Last Of Us Part 3 suffers new blow as Naughty Dog admit to second secret game MORE: Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear spiritual successor won't be out this decade
