Hasbro is making moves in the gaming world once again. This time, they’re bringing family-friendly live gaming centers across the US. Let’s check it out.
Coming from Action Figure Insider, Hasbro has decided to team up with Kilburn Live and bring Hasbro-themed family entertainment centers across the US. But this isn’t the first sudden move we’ve heard of out of Hasbro this year.
Remember what they did to game stores just a few months ago?
WOTC Cuts off Direct Sales to Retailers
They recently announced they are cutting off direct sales to retailers, which is akin to Games Workshop refusing to supply product directly to gaming stores anymore.
Effective August 31, Wizards of the Coast will no longer offer direct sales to retailers in the U.S. and Canada as it shutters its Direct Sales Program.
This hurt LGS’s. People can buy an entire booster box of cards for about $20 less than what they could at a gaming store.
Get a closer look at what happened.
Exclusive Card Boxes sold Through Hasbro
As another way of cutting out the middleman, Hasbro (the owner of WotC) has also announced that players can buy exclusive boxes that will include extremely rare borderless Planeswalkers.
Hasbro pulled the Magic fanbase towards the direct supplier when they announced exclusive Planeswalkers. These would only be sold directly from Hasbro to the consumer.
Hasbro is on the move again with another big announcement.
Hasbro-Themed Family Entertainment Centers Coming to the US & Canada
Hasbro announced that they would be partnering up with Kilburn Live (a producer in family-friendly entertainment content) to bring Hasbro-themed family activity centers to the public.
Los Angeles-based Kilburn Live has entered into a licensing agreement with Hasbro, a global play and entertainment company, to create, build and operate Hasbro-themed family entertainment centers across the US and Canada.
The indoor family entertainment facilities will take iconic Hasbro brands and create interactive, immersive and innovative entertainment experiences in a high-energy, gamified environment with multiple activity zones.
This sounds great for the casual family looking for some fun on the weekend. But could these compete with local game stores? Of course, these won’t pull everyone away because Hasbro will have nothing to do with tabletop wargames. However, let’s look at this from a business standpoint.
LGSs may see fewer families stop in to buy a board game or even a few packs of Magic cards. Even though that may not sound like a big hit, it could spell out $100-$200 less for LGSs.
It looks like Hasbro is trying to keep pace with the generation and come to the families themselves. The recent stunt that Hasbro (and WOTC) pulled with Magic the Gathering might have left a bad taste in some people’s mouths. How do you feel about these entertainment centers? Will they pull people away from local game stores?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
