Hasbro Inc has cancelled a publishing deal with the independent video-game studio Giant Skull less than a year after announcing it, the two companies confirmed this week.
Giant Skull was founded by Stig Asmussen, the well-respected director of games such as God of War III and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, after he left Electronic Arts Inc. in 2023. He recruited several industry veterans who had worked with him on the Star Wars games at EA.
Last June, Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast subsidiary said it was partnering with Giant Skull on an action-adventure game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, calling it "a definitive moment in both companies’ gaming ambitions.”
But Wizards of the Coast pulled out of the deal earlier this year, the company told Bloomberg News.
"We assess concepts at every stage of development,” a spokesperson for Wizards of the Coast said, adding that the company was still taking new pitches from Giant Skull.
"While we decided not to pursue an early concept from Giant Skull, we have great respect for Stig Asmussen and his team and value our ongoing relationship,” the spokesperson said.
Hasbro has focused more on video games in recent years, placing big bets on expensive productions such as the upcoming sci-fi title Exodus, which is slated for release in 2027. But the toy and gaming company, which also operates the highly profitable Magic: The Gathering card game, has indicated a desire to cut costs. The cancellation of the Giant Skull deal, which hasn’t been previously reported, took place alongside a larger reorganisation at Wizards of the Coast that also included the closure of subsidiary Atomic Arcade.
Asmussen said he had enjoyed working with Wizards of the Coast and that he was talking to people there and at other companies about potential new publishing deals.
"Things are good at Giant Skull,” he said. – Bloomberg
