Brian Goldner, CEO of Hasbro, says his company is working on NFT technology and it can be applied to collectibles in the company’s portfolio – including Magic the Gathering.
The blockchain-based cryptographic asset tags, also known as non-fungible tokens, have proven controversial as speculators make claims on existing physical and digital art, among other things. When asked by analysts during a quarterly earnings call on Tuesday, Goldner replied that NFTs could be an option for multiple brands in the portfolio.
“NFTs are a real opportunity for us,” said Goldner. “As you know, we have so many brands that really operate on multiple demographic levels. whether it is Transformers, whether it is magic and the D&D brand as well as brands like GI Joe. We have a team that leads our efforts from the west coast. We got this under control and we see several options on the NFT page and you will learn more about them as we move forward. But we are actively developing our options here and see them as substantial. “
Polygon reached out to Wizards of the Coast, owned by Hasbro, for more information. However, the company did not respond immediately prior to posting.
Hasbro revised the structure of its financial reports late last year. That showed the amazing amount of money that Magic the Gathering and D&D, combined with digital games, make up the company. While the Rhode Island-based company is traditionally viewed as a toy manufacturer, Magic, D&D and related digital brands make nearly half of its bottom line for the company.
“The craziest number is that its 2020 operating profit for the WotC and Digital Gaming segment was $ 420.4 million.” wrote the hobby game analyst at ICv2 in February. “That’s an impressive number on its own, representing an operating profit margin of 46%, but what’s even more amazing is that […] The consumer goods segment more than quadrupled the sales of the WotC segment ($ 3.65 billion) in 2020 with a lower profit. “
Other information from the investor call is that Magic the Gathering – Arena meets and possibly exceeds the goals that developers have set for it. The game recently became available on iOS devices. Goldner said sales were up 24% and that the average weekly game time was 9 hours. The physical business is not too shabby despite the pandemic. Kaldheim was supposedly the best-selling winter set of all time.
