Hasbro Claims It is Using a 'Human-Centric' Approach to AI

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Today, we’re breaking down Hasbro’s Q4 2025 earnings report and what it reveals about Dungeons and Dragons and the company’s approach to artificial intelligence; something I do think needs to be watched.

Hasbro reinforced its interest in the use of artificial intelligence within its company, although what that means for Wizards of the Coast and Dungeons and Dragons remains unclear.

Hasbro reported its Q4 2025 results on Tuesday. The company’s overall revenue grew 31% year over year, with an 86% growth in Wizards and digital gaming products and 7% in consumer products. Magic: The Gathering proved itself to once again be a constant driving force for the company’s financial success. D&D will have “major category expansions” later this year, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks emphasized, but there wasn’t much more to add to what comes next for the popular TTRPG beyond him hyping up future video games like Warlock as well as the recently announced partnership with HBO and Craig Mazin.

The remarks that arguably stood out the most was Cocks’ decision to explain the company’s approach to artificial intelligence during the earnings call and how it might be used. “We're taking a human-centric, creator-led approach,” Cocks told analysts. “AI is a tool that helps our teams move faster and focus on higher-value work, but people make the decisions and people own the creative outcomes. Teams also have choice in how they use it, including not to use it at all when it doesn't fit the work or the brand.”

He listed multiple examples of how the company is using AI, including “financial planning, forecasting, order management, supply chain operations, training and everyday productivity under enterprise controls and clear guidelines around responsible use and IP protection.”

Hasbro is building partnerships with Google Gemini, OpenAI and the voice-focused ElevenLabs in hopes of embedding the technology “where it adds real value,” Cocks emphasized. He even goes on to claim these incorporations will “free up more than 1 million hours of lower-value work.”

“We believe the winners in AI will be companies that combine deep IP, creative talent and disciplined deployment. That's exactly where Hasbro sits,” Cocks concluded.

What Dos This All Mean?

AI remains arguably one of the biggest hype factors for any company to put into practice that will hopefully spark confidence among investors and analysts. I (Chris) spend a lot of time reading earnings reports for one of my part-time jobs, and nobody can stop talking about the technology. So I would take this with a lot of salt.

Seeing Cocks re-emphasize Hasbro’s AI policy isn’t terribly shocking. He’s expressed his support of AI in the past. Cocks spoke about how AI tools could support brands like D&D during talks at Goldman Sachs events. He also claims to use AI extensively during the D&D games he runs for people, according to Semafor. There’s been discussions of how the company could theoretically use the 50 years of content to generate new content as well.

At the same time, D&D and WOTC exist in a particularly weird place in Hasbro’s ecosystem. The company stated in 2023 that artists contributing to the game must “refrain from using AI generative tools” to create final D&D products” after fans discovered an AI-generated piece of art in Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. This continues to be our best understanding of WOTC and D&D’s approach to generative AI tools as a whole.

I do want to note that this language does not bar the company from using AI in other stages (brainstorming, drafts, editing, etc.) But we also don’t have enough insight into that design side to confirm or deny if it is occurring; merely that it appears to be on the table.

That statement also doesn’t bar AI from being used to create an AI agent that offers answers to D&D queries, or helps generate story ideas. I’ve heard plenty of people speculate that D&D Beyond will have some sort of AI incorporation in the future. We just haven’t seen it happen yet.

For now, I do recommend keeping an eye on Hasbro’s evolving AI policy and how it might change amid the conversations around AI bubbles and the stability of that industry.

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What Q4 2025 Entailed for Dungeons and Dragons.

Q4 featured multiple major book releases for WOTC. Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerun and Heroes of Faerun got a dual release in November, while Eberron: Forge of the Artificer released in early December. The Stranger Things tie-in Welcome to Hellfire Club, the second starter set released for the 2024 ruleset, also hit tables this quarter.

Q4 was also the month when WOTC’s 3D virtual tabletop Project Sigil formally ended development, the clear casualty amid Hasbro’s push for more digital products.

When it comes to Magic: The Gathering, only one major set released in Q4; Avatar: The Last Airbender’s MTG set was released in Q4 and appeared to do well, although they were far from the success that Final Fantasy and Spiderman were expected to be.

The company made its first of many new hires in December, appointing Justice Ramin Arman as game design director. Arman’s hire would be followed by a half dozen new designers brought onto staff in the following month.

Hasbro’s Last Quarter Focused on Digital Gaming

The company released its Q3 2025 report on Thursday. Hasbro reported an 8% increase in revenue, driven primarily by growth in Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming. These two divisions within the toy-making company have proven to be a consistent source of growth compared to the rest of the brands, especially after the standout success of the Final Fantasy card set this summer. The majority of quarterly growth was attributed to Magic The Gathering, which saw its revenue grow 55% this quarter through the August 1 release of Edge of Eternities and the September 26 release of Marvel’s Spider-Man.

It also affirmed its dedication to focusing on digital products like games and expanding DnD Beyond’s capabilities during an investor call.

“The big thing for Dungeons and Dragons is going to be digital games,” Cocks said. “We have several games in development. We're working with some fantastic creators in that space. We tend to be a little gun-shy talking about projects too early, but you're going to start to see more of our digital ambitions come to life with D&D and understand some of the things we have in development over the next couple of quarters." Some of those games include the Raven Queen-themed Warlock (scheduled for 2027) and Exodus’ video game adaptation.

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