Hasbro is accelerating its strategic push into digital gaming and immersive entertainment by opening a brand-new Wizards of the Coast studio in Montréal, Canada. The newly established facility will focus entirely on developing expansive new content, digital platforms, and next-generation video game experiences for the iconic Dungeons & Dragons franchise.
The announcement marks a major milestone for Hasbro’s gaming subsidiary as it looks to capitalize on the soaring popularity of tabletop role-playing games and their digital extensions. By tapping into one of North America’s most prominent video game development hubs, the company aims to build the largest concentration of gaming talent under the Wizards of the Coast banner, anchoring its future growth in interactive entertainment.
Dive Brief
The newly minted Wizards of the Coast Studios in Montréal represents a significant expansion of Hasbro’s physical and creative footprint in Canada. Company leadership has made it clear that the studio is not just a secondary office, but a primary engine for the future of the Dungeons & Dragons brand in the digital landscape.
“This studio will grow to be the largest concentration of video game talent at Hasbro, built on one of the world’s deepest game development ecosystems,” said Dan Ayoub, head of Dungeons & Dragons and head of Wizards of the Coast Canada, in a statement detailing the launch. “We’re here to create the next generation of digital game titles, and to do it with the incredible talent this city has to offer.”
Wizards of the Coast is no stranger to the Canadian creative market. The Hasbro subsidiary has maintained a steady operational presence in Montréal since 2019, when it acquired Invoke Studios. Over the years, that initial acquisition has blossomed into a reliable foundation for game development, making the city a natural choice for Hasbro’s most ambitious digital expansion to date.
The establishment of the new Montréal studio arrives on the heels of a broader wave of digital initiatives for the Dungeons & Dragons brand. The subsidiary recently announced several high-profile projects designed to capture a wider audience across multiple platforms. Among these initiatives are the upcoming November launch of Dungeons & Dragons: World of Warcraft, a dedicated mobile experience tailored for D&D Beyond, and a series of comprehensive updates rolling out across the franchise’s various digital and video game ecosystems.
Hasbro executive leadership has repeatedly pointed to the digital gaming sector as a primary catalyst for corporate growth. During a recent earnings call with analysts discussing the company’s second-quarter performance, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks highlighted the exceptional strength of the tabletop and digital ecosystem.
“D&D is actually performing quite well — particularly D&D Beyond,” Cocks told analysts during the Q2 financial review.
That strong performance is clearly reflected in Hasbro’s financial statements. During the second quarter, Hasbro’s overall net revenue increased by over 16%, reaching an impressive $1.1 billion. That financial surge was largely driven by the Wizards of the Coast and digital gaming segments, which posted a remarkable 27% increase year over year, outperforming many traditional toy and board game categories.
Dive Insight
The opening of the Montréal studio underscores a broader structural evolution for Hasbro as a whole. While the company has historically been known for physical toys, board games, and traditional playthings, its financial future is increasingly tied to digital licensing, video games, and immersive multimedia franchises.
The strategic pivot toward digital-first and hybrid gaming experiences has allowed Hasbro to weather shifts in consumer behavior and retail trends. By concentrating its Dungeons & Dragons video game development efforts in Montréal, the company is positioning itself to compete more aggressively in the global interactive entertainment market, where AAA game development requires deep pools of specialized engineering, artistic, and narrative talent.
Montréal has long been recognized as a global capital for game development, housing major studios and drawing top-tier talent from around the world. By expanding its operations in the city, Wizards of the Coast is directly plugging into an established infrastructure of technical expertise, reducing the friction typically associated with scaling up large-scale video game production.
This latest expansion also aligns with Hasbro’s ongoing efforts to streamline and modernize its corporate infrastructure. Last year, Hasbro made headlines across the corporate and retail sectors when it announced it was moving its historic Rhode Island operations to the Boston metropolitan area. The relocation established a prominent new workspace in Boston’s Seaport District, which now serves as the primary global headquarters for the company’s toys, board games, licensing businesses, and the majority of its corporate services.
As Hasbro transitions its corporate center to Boston while simultaneously expanding its creative and digital frontiers in Montréal and other international hubs, the company is executing a dual strategy. It is tightening the operational efficiency of its core toy and licensing business while heavily investing in the high-growth digital realms of Wizards of the Coast.
For fans of Dungeons & Dragons, the creation of the Montréal studio signals a clear commitment to expanding the franchise beyond rulebooks and tabletop sessions. With dedicated teams working on mobile platforms, cross-franchise crossovers like the World of Warcraft collaboration, and next-generation video game titles, the storied fantasy property is entering a new era of digital availability. As these initiatives move from development to release in the coming months and years, Hasbro’s expanded footprint in Canada will play a central role in shaping how millions of players experience the world of D&D.