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Tag: Hasbro

  • Your First Look at Hasbro’s ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ Figures Is Here (Exclusive)

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    Much of what the next Star Wars movie to hit theaters is really about remains a mystery to us, especially as we’ve not seen anything really concrete from The Mandalorian and Grogu since its teaser trailer five months ago. But one thing is always certain with the galaxy far, far away, mystery or otherwise: a new Star Wars movie means new Star Wars action figures, and io9 has an exclusive look at what to expect from Hasbro’s return to the Mandoverse.

    In just a couple of months, Hasbro will kick off the fully armed and operational merchandising campaign for The Mandalorian and Grogu with a bumper set of figures in its six-inch Black Series line. Of course, a movie called The Mandalorian and Grogu needs a new Mandalorian and Grogu for you to play with, and that’s exactly what you get in this deluxe set (retailing for $35) that includes a plethora of gear for Din Djarin—and, of course, a new articulated Grogu sculpt designed to be nestled, climbing on his back.

    Hasbro Star Wars The Black Series The Mandalorian and Grogu

    As well as Grogu, the set comes with Din’s backpack, his trusty blaster pistol, a new rifle, a small knife to slot into his boot (and an extra hand to hold it), and, most intriguingly, a new weapon in the form of a short sword. It’s no Darksaber, but it’ll get the job done either way.

    You’ll need some bad guys for Din to use all that gear on, so of course the Imperial Remnant is happy to provide for the bulk of the rest of the initial Mandalorian and Grogu figures. A Remnant Stormtrooper and a Remnant AT-AT Driver will provide updated takes on the iconic foot soldiers of the Empire, with dirtied-up paint decos (they’re the Remnant, after all, and the Empire can no longer afford armor polish in a post-Endor world). While the AT-AT Driver comes with a blaster pistol, the trooper comes with an E-11 rifle as well as a removable pauldron and ammo pouch that can be mixed and matched to break up your army-building forces.

    Hasbro Star Wars The Black Series Imperial Remnant Stormtrooper and Imperial Remnant AT-AT Driver

    They’ll also be joined by a brand-new trooper design for The Mandalorian and Grogu: the Remnant AT-RT driver. Yes, it seems like the Empire has found a few old Clone War-era walkers around to use in the movie, and they’ll be driven by these unique troopers who blend elements of Snow Trooper and Shore Trooper designs in a hodgepodge of armor pieces. And if that weren’t enough troopers, Target will also be home to its own exclusive version of the standard Remnant Stormtrooper, who is even worse for wear than the rest of their comrades, with chunks of their arm and leg plating swapped with brown replacement parts.

    Hasbro Star Wars The Black Series Imperial Remnant AT-RT Driver and Imperial Remnant Stormtrooper (Target Exclusive)

    It’s a bad time for the Imperial Remnant, so it’ll be even worse when they face off with the last figure of the wave: Sigourney Weaver’s New Republic Colonel Ward. Clad in an X-Wing pilot suit (as we got to see in images shown back at Celebration Japan last year), Ward comes with a removable helmet and… sadly nothing else, so she’s going to have to rely on the fact that she’s Sigourney Weaver in an X-Wing pilot suit to dazzle her action figure foes into submission.

    Hasbro Star Wars The Black Series Colonel Ward

    While they’re all expected to release sometime in spring ahead of The Mandalorian and Grogu hitting theaters on May 22, you’ll be able to get your hands on special versions of each of the main figures in this initial wave a couple months ahead of the film. Both exclusively in-store at Walmart and Target in the U.S. and at Hasbro fan channel retailers around the world, there’ll be “First Edition” variants of the deluxe Mandalorian and Grogu, the standard Remnant Stormtrooper, the Remnant AT-AT Driver, the Remnant AT-RT driver, and Colonel Ward in white packaging, which will release on March 22 in limited quantities. The packaging is the only difference for the variants, so you won’t be missing out on anything else… other than the chance to own action figures for a brand-new Star Wars movie a little earlier than some, that is!

    The first wave of The Mandalorian and Grogu Black Series figures will go up for pre-order starting tomorrow, February 13, at 1 p.m. ET at both Hasbro’s own Pulse website and at other participating retailers (Target’s exclusive Remnant Stormtrooper will also go live for pre-orders at that time).

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    James Whitbrook

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  • ‘Baldur’s Gate’ TV Series Continuing Game’s Story In Works At HBO From ‘The Last Of Us’ Co-Creator Craig Mazin & Hasbro Entertainment

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    EXCLUSIVE: Craig Mazin, co-creator of arguably the most acclaimed TV adaptation of a video game to date, HBO‘s The Last Of Us, will be taking on another hugely popular and acclaimed game title next, Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3, which is set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.

    HBO is developing Baldur’s Gate, a drama series based on Hasbro Entertainment’s video game franchise, with Mazin attached to create, write, executive produce and showrun the TV adaptation. Also exec producing are Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor and Hasbro Entertainment’s Gabriel Marano. Chris Perkins, the longtime Head of Story at Hasbro subsidiary Wizards of the Coast, which is behind the D&D game franchise, will serve as consultant.

    Unlike HBO’s The Last Of Us, which retold the story from the PlayStation games, the Baldur’s Gate TV series will be a continuation to the games, telling a story that takes place immediately after the events of Baldur’s Gate 3, as the characters — old and new — are dealing with the ramifications of the events in the third game.

    Like with The Last Of Us, Mazin’s passion for Baldur’s Gate 3 and its characters led to his decision to adapt it as a TV series. He has proudly completed the Swen Vincke-developed game on the challenging honor mode, and he is also a longtime D&D fan, a Dungeon Master who has been playing the game weekly for the past 15 years, including tonight.

    “After putting nearly 1000 hours into the incredible world of Baldur’s Gate 3, it is a dream come true to be able to continue the story that Larian and Wizards of The Coast created,” Mazin said. “I am a devoted fan of D&D and the brilliant way that Swen Vincke and his gifted team adapted it. I can’t wait to help bring Baldur’s Gate and all of its incredible characters to life with as much respect and love as we can, and I’m deeply grateful to Gabe Marano and his team at Hasbro for entrusting me with this incredibly important property.”

    With no ties to another Baldur’s Gate game in development, Mazin has freedom over the direction of the story, making it more of a traditional show vs. The Last of Us whose plot and lifespan were determined by the existing games. As Deadline has reported, the post-apocalyptic drama is expected to end with its upcoming third season. Baldur’s Gate slated to be Mazin’s followup series for HBO where he also created and executive produced the Emmy-winning Chernobyl.

    Baldur’s Gate is designed to be ongoing and continue with different kinds of stories within the sprawling world of the game. The series draws deeply from the source material of Baldur’s Gate 3 — how it begins how the game ends — and not so much from the first two games which are not official source material. Still, there are some commonalities across those games that are connected to Dungeons & Dragons lore, which Mazin plans to draw upon under the agreement with Wizards of the Coast.

    The TV series will feature both existing characters from Baldur’s Gate 3 and new ones. It is expected to keep the D&D tradition of taking new characters who are not that powerful and follow their journey through adventures that make them powerful. The new protagonists are bound to run into beloved characters from Baldur’s Gate 3 — some of them heroes, some of them villains, some of them literally devils — who occupy the same world. Now incredibly powerful, they will meddle, helping or hindering the new heroes.

    Mazin, who is just now starting his own journey with the material as his deal just closed, plans to reach out to voice cast members of Baldur’s Gate 3 with ideas for them to participate in the TV adaptation, if possible. He and The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann did it on their HBO series with several actors from that game, most notably Merle Dandridge who reprised her role as Marlene. Mazin, who has an overall deal with HBO, is now in final prep on Season 3 of The Last of Us.

    “We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Craig Mazin on Baldur’s Gate,” Francesca Orsi, EVP, Head of HBO Drama Programming said. “His deep and long-standing passion for the source material paired with his remarkable talent for building immersive worlds filled with rich, compelling characters promises groundbreaking results.”

    HBO’s Baldur’s Gate is designed to co-exist alongside The Forgotten Realms live-action Dungeons & Dragons series Hasbro Entertainment has set up at Netflix with Shawn Levy producing. The two share D&D’s The Forgotten Realms campaign setting, which is vast and could accommodate multiple TV series.

    “The fans have been eagerly awaiting an adaptation of Baldur’s Gate, and we could not ask for better partners than HBO and the incomparable Craig Mazin to build this world with,” Gabriel Marano, Head of Television, Hasbro Entertainment said.

    Hasbro Entertainment also has a Power Rangers live-action series in the works at Disney+ and a couple of other high-profile series in the marketplace.

    Part of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise, the Baldur’s Gate character-driven role-playing video game series originated in 1998 and became known for its mature setting of crime, political intrigue, and edgy adventure. The most recent game, Baldur’s Gate 3, launched to massive critical and commercial success with over 15 million lifetime players, over 34 industry award wins, and made history as the first game to win all five major Game of The Year awards.

    Mazin is repped by CAA; Hasbro Entertainment is repped by WME.

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    Nellie Andreeva

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  • Hasbro Suit Alleges Overprinted ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Cards

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    A recent lawsuit against Magic: The Gathering owner Hasbro claims company executives conducted gross mismanagement, breached their fiduciary duties, and performed unjust enrichment by overproducing cards for the popular game.

    Filed in Rhode Island on January 21, the executives—CEO Chris Cocks, several current and past board members, and former Wizards of the Coast president Cynthia Williams—are being sued by Joseph Crocono and Ultan McGlone, who’ve held shares since the early 2020s. The pair claim that comments made during Hasbro’s shareholder calls between 2021 and 2023 were “materially false and misleading…[and] caused the Company substantial harm by causing it to repurchase its own shares at artificially inflated prices.”

    Citing Magic’s popularity amongst collectors, the 76-page suit notes that cards can make “upwards of thousands of dollars on the secondary market.” To further back up its claims, the suit highlights a 2022 report from Bank of America which warned the “oversupply” of Magic cards “have propped up Hasbro’s recent results but are destroying the long-term value of the brand.” As such, the company was able to repurchase 1.4 million shares for $125 million between April and July 2022, overpaying itself by $55.9 million.

    Magic: The Gathering players have noted Hasbro’s aggressive pushes in recent years, in part due to the Universes Beyond and Secret Lair crossovers with big brands. Hasbro hasn’t been shy in earnings calls about how well these sets have done, like giving a shoutout to Beyond’s Final Fantasy set in 2025 when it was a big revenue driver for the company. It’s believed that overproducing cards (particularly from September 2023 to October 2023) allowed the company to cover up for shortfalls elsewhere in its business, since it would cost less to remake new cards than to create wholly new ones.

    This suit comes weeks ahead of Hasbro’s earnings call on February 10, where it’ll reveal the financial performance of Magic: The Gathering during the previous fiscal year and quarter. At time of writing, the company hasn’t publicly remarked on the suit, and io9 has reached out for comment.

    [via Polygon and GoLocalProv]

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Justin Carter

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  • Slime, Battleship and Trivial Pursuit join the Toy Hall of Fame

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    Slime, that gooey, sticky and often-homemade plaything, was enshrined into the National Toy Hall of Fame on Thursday along with perennial bestselling games Battleship and Trivial Pursuit.

    Each year, the Hall of Fame recognizes toys that have inspired creative play across generations, culling its finalists from among thousands of nominees sent in online. Voting by the public and a panel of experts decides which playthings will be inducted.

    Milton Bradley’s Battleship, a strategy game that challenges players to strike an opponent’s warships, and Trivial Pursuit, which tests players’ knowledge in categories like geography and sports, have each sold more than 100 million copies over several decades, according to the Hall of Fame.

    Battleship started as a pencil-and-paper game in the 1930s, but it was Milton Bradley’s 1967 plastic edition with fold-up stations and model ships that became a hit with the public. Its popularity crested when Universal Pictures and Hasbro, which now owns Milton Bradley, released the 2012 movie, “Battleship,” loosely based on the game. Battleship was also among the first board games to be computerized in 1979, according to the Hall of Fame, and now there are numerous, electronic versions.

    Trivial Pursuit lets players compete alone or in teams as they maneuver around a board answering trivia questions in exchange for wedges in a game piece. Canadian journalists Chris Haney and Scott Abbott came up with the game in 1979 and eventually sold the rights to Hasbro. Frequently updated, specialty versions have emerged for young players, baby boomers and other segments and an online daily quiz keeps players engaged, chief curator Chris Bensch said.

    Slime’s appeal is more about squish than skill.

    It was introduced commercially in 1976 and has been manufactured under various brand names, but it is even more accessible as a do-it-yourself project. The internet offers a variety of recipes using ingredients like baking soda, glue and contact lens solution.

    “Though slime continues to carry icky connotations to slugs and swamps — all part of the fun for some — the toy offers meaningful play,” curator Michelle Parnett-Dwyer said, adding that it’s also used for stress relief and building motor skills.

    The honorees will be on permanent display at the Hall of Fame inside The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.

    This year’s inductees were voted in over other nominees including the games Catan and Connect Four, the Spirograph drawing device, the “Star Wars” lightsaber, Furby and Tickle Me Elmo. They also beat out classics including scooters, cornhole and snow.

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  • Expect ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ in ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Next Year

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    A few days ago, we learned KPop Demon Hunters would finally get some merchandise thanks to Hasbro and Mattel. If you’re a fan of Magic: The Gathering, good news for you: Huntr/x is coming to a set near you in 2026.

    During its recent third quarter investor call, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks said the Netflix film would come to its famous card game via the Secret Lair line. In talking it up, he expects it to do pretty well, saying “if we can figure out how to get people jazzed up about SpongeBob SquarePants collectible cards, I’m pretty sure we can do it with one of the biggest movies of all time.”

    That KPop is getting a Lair drop is an easier ask compared to a full-blown deck similar to Spider-Man or Final Fantasy. The latter’s been a pretty big seller for Hasbro, and during the call, Cocks called the Secret Lair release for Spongebob one of its best ever. Given the movie’s been so big that Netflix is bringing it back to theaters a second (technically third) time and getting Hasbro to share the toy lin with Mattel, it’s easy to imagine the Secret Lair drop hitting big with newcomers and Magic fans—especially since by that point, the film will probably have been nominated for (or won) an Oscar or two.

    We’ll have more on the Secret Lair drop for KPop Demon Hunters, including card artwork, as news emerges.

    [via ICv2]

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Justin Carter

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  • Mattel, Hasbro Could Win As Toy Retailers Scramble to Stock Up for Holiday

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    Mattel, Hasbro Could Win As Toy Retailers Scramble to Stock Up for Holiday

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  • Netflix Shifts Focus From Subscribers to Ads, A.I. and Real-World Ventures

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    Co-CEO Ted Sarandos says Netflix now reaches nearly a billion viewers. Dia Dipasupil/WireImage

    Since Netflix stopped disclosing subscriber numbers in its earnings reports earlier this year, the company’s executives have shifted their focus to discussing innovation in advertising, A.I., and real-world ventures on earnings calls. The pivot signals Netflix’s gradual evolution from a pure streaming platform into a broader tech and entertainment powerhouse. On the scale of a crawl-walk-run spectrum, Netflix is “now squarely in the ‘walk’ phase,” co-CEO Greg Peters told analysts on the company’s third-quarter earnings call yesterday (Oct. 21). “We feel like we’ve established the fundamentals of the business now. Advertisers are excited about our growing scale,” he said. 

    Netflix’s advertising business, once considered a side experiment, saw its best quarter in the July-September period, proving it is now a reliable revenue stream in addition to subscription. Netflix said it doubled its U.S. upfront commitments, or pre-sold ad inventory for the coming year, during the quarter. Peters said Netflix’s in-house tech will soon support interactive ads that let viewers engage directly with campaigns.

    Netflix is testing similar interactivity in live programming. Peters said the company is exploring real-time voting features for its expanding slate of live shows and events. This capability could debut in Star Search, the classic talent competition Netflix plans to revive in 2026.

    For the July-September quarter, total revenue rose 17 percent year-over-year to $11.5 billion, while profit climbed 8 percent to $2.5 billion. Both figures came in below Wall Street expectations, primarily due to a one-time $619 million tax expense in Brazil, sending the company’s share price to fall 10 percent today. Without disclosing the exact subscriber number, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the company now serves nearly a billion viewers globally. 

    Netflix is also delving deeper into generative A.I. to boost efficiency and creativity across its operations, from content localization and dubbing to personalized viewing recommendations. Recent examples include the use of A.I. in Happy Gilmore 2 to de-age characters in an opening flashback scene, and in Billionaires’ Bunker, a Spanish-language original created by the Money Heist team, where A.I. tools helped design sets and wardrobes.

    In response to an analyst question about A.I. and tools like OpenAI’s video-creation platform Sora, Sarandos emphasized that Netflix isn’t concerned about A.I. replacing human creativity. “For what we do, it takes a great artist to make something great. A.I. doesn’t automatically make you a great storyteller if you’re not [one],” he said.

    Beyond its advances in ad tech and A.I. applications, Netflix continues expanding its brand beyond the screen. The company is building a real-world ecosystem that spans merchandising, gaming, live events and new consumer experiences. Initiatives include a recent Spotify podcast partnership, a “Netflix House” entertainment center rollout, a Netflix-branded restaurant in Las Vegas, and new toy and collectibles collaborations with Mattel and Hasbro tied to KPop Demon Hunters.

    Netflix Shifts Focus From Subscribers to Ads, A.I. and Real-World Ventures

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    Andy Meek

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  • Netflix Is Planning on Making ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Its ‘Star Wars’ Merchandising Machine

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    Harkening back to the Star Wars pre-order cardboard days, Netflix is playing catch-up by making sales for KPop Demon Hunters toys and merch available before the actual products are ready.

    Netflix has announced partnerships with Hasbro and Mattel in response to the massive demand from the fans for KPop Demon Hunters toys. Projected to roll out starting spring 2026, there will be a range of global products, including collectibles, games, and role-play products that will bring the world of Huntr/x and the Saja Boys to the homes of fans eagerly wanting to add their favorite characters to their toy troves.

    Mattel’s KPop partnership with Netflix will feature dolls, action figures, accessories, collectibles, and playsets. We’re already imagining a concert playset with action figures. There will also be collabs with Mattel’s co-brands, which could mean Little People figures for the littlest of Huntr/x fans. But the fan age range is truly from baby to adult, because while I want toys for my little one, I also want the Mattel Creations three-pack of Huntr/x dolls for myself that was announced just today.

    The deluxe fashion dolls, which have yet to actually be revealed, feature Rumi, Mira, and Zoe in their showstopping finale performance looks—and yet I’ve never clicked faster on a pre-order page ahead of the sale going live November 12.

    © Hasbro

    The Hasbro-Netflix KPop partnership is also gearing up to be expansive and filled with must-haves. Plushes stood out to us immediately—we need high-quality Derpy tigers!—and there will also be youth electronics and role-play options tying in with Hasbro Games, Wizards of the Coast, and Nerf. Please, please make Nerf versions of the amazing Huntr/x demon-fighting weapons. And maybe a Magic secret lair, considering Wizards of the Coast has already done ones for Post Malone and Hatsune Miku.

    Hasbro’s early drop announcement is a card-based variation on Monopoly, Monopoly Deal: KPop Demon Hunters, which is already available for pre-order on Amazon, Target and Walmart, with orders shipping January 1, 2026.

    KPop Demon Hunters products from Mattel and Hasbro will be available to retailers by spring 2026 and continue arriving through the rest of the year. That means they won’t arrive in time for this year’s holiday gift-giving, but you could print out pre-order confirmations to stuff into stockings in the meantime: “IOU the Huntr/x Dolls. Love, Santa.”

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Sabina Graves

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  • NYCC 2025: Hasbro’s Marvel and Star Wars Reveals

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    Toy collectors always have two dates circled on their calendars: San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic Con. That’s because the company with some of the biggest licenses in the world, Hasbro, always has a ton of incredible reveals of what fans will want to be picking up over the next few months.

    Hasbro just finished its 2025 New York Comic Con panel and it didn’t disappoint, giving us some really popular Marvel characters, as well as fan-favorite deep cuts, and then a nice wide spectrum of Star Wars too. Below, we break it all down.

    Marvel Legends

    Marvel’s Apocalypse

    “Inspired by Apocalypse’s appearance in the X-Men ’97 animated series, this 6-inch scale action figure will tower over most Marvel Legends characters at 12 inches tall and features over 25 points of articulation.” It costs $120 and is now available to pre-order on Hasbro Pulse. Expected ship date: fall 2026.

    World War II Logan

    “This collectible 6-inch scale Marvel figure is detailed to look like the character from Marvel’s X-Men and Wolverine comics. The Wolverine (WWII Logan) action figure is fully articulated with premium design and poseable head, arms, and legs. This Marvel action figure set comes with 7 accessories, including 3 alternate hands, alternate head, knife, satchel, and weapon accessory.” It costs $28 and is available to pre-order at 1 p.m. ET on October 10 on Hasbro Pulse. Expected ship date: fall 2025.

    Multiple Inhuman Packs

    Here we’ve got a pair of two-packs. There are the Medusa and Gordon figures, and the Black Bolt and Triton figures. Each set costs around $60 and is available to pre-order at 1 p.m. ET on October 21 on Hasbro Pulse. Expected ship date: fall 2025.

    So Much Spider-Man

    Three new Spider-Man universe figures are on the way. There’s Spider-Man 2099, Cardiac, and the Dark Avengers Spider-Man. Each costs $28. The Dark Avenger preorders at 1 p.m. ET on October 10 (with an expected ship date of fall 2025), while the other two are on October 29 (with an expected ship date of spring 2026), all at Hasbro Pulse.

    And so much more…

    Those are our favorites, but there were a ton of other Marvel Legends announcements. There was Phantom Rider, Warbow, Enchantress, Werewolf by Night, and Iron Man: Mark 72, too. They all cost $28 and will be available to pre-order at 1 p.m. ET on October 10 on Hasbro Pulse. Expected ship dates: fall 2025.

    Star Wars

    Moving to a galaxy far, far away, here’s what Hasbro has for Star Wars. 

    Black Series Boba Fett

    “This Star Wars Hasbro action figure is detailed to look like Boba Fett from Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett. This figure comes with a removable helmet, a blaster accessory, a rifle accessory, and a jetpack with a removable rocket.” It costs $28 and will be available to pre-order at 1 p.m. ET on October 10 on Hasbro Pulse. The expected ship date is early 2026.

    Black Series Darth Vader (Duel’s End)

    “This Star Wars Hasbro action figure is detailed to look like Darth Vader from Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi. Comes with Vader’s signature red Lightsaber for dynamic posing on fan shelves.” It costs $28 and will be available to pre-order at 1 p.m. ET on October 10 on Hasbro Pulse. The expected ship date is early 2026.

    Black Series Purge Trooper and Patrol Trooper

    “This Star Wars Hasbro action figure set is detailed to look like a purge trooper and a patrol trooper from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. These figures come with two blaster accessories, a riot shield, and a shock baton with removable shock FX.” This one also pre-orders on October 10, but at 10 a.m. ET exclusively at Walmart. It’s out in 2026.

    The Vintage Collection

    Finally, here are two new additions to the Vintage Collection: Padme Amidala and Shaak Ti. Each costs $20 and will be available to pre-order at 1 p.m. ET on October 25 on Hasbro Pulse. The expected ship date is early 2026.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Germain Lussier

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  • Hasbro’s Great ‘Star Wars’ SDCC Figures Are Going to Be Easier to Get—But With Some Big Caveats

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    Earlier this summer, Hasbro wowed SDCC with an exclusive Star Wars two-pack celebrating Revenge of the Sith‘s 20th anniversary. The good news is, if you just want the figures that were included of Anakin and Obi-Wan, they’re coming. The bad news is… well, you’re losing a lot in the process if you missed out on the now-sold-out set.

    Over the weekend at Fan Expo Canada, Hasbro confirmed that the newly updated Black Series figures of Anakin and Obi-Wan that were first released in the SDCC-exclusive two-pack earlier this summer will receive standard retail releases later this year. Set to retail for $25, the new Anakin and Obi-Wan figures each come with their respective lightsabers, and… that’s it.

    Now, don’t get me wrong; as is, these are arguably some of the best versions of the Revenge of the Sith versions of these characters Hasbro has ever done. The new headsculpts are fantastic; the plastic material of their Jedi tunics no longer gets in the way of the enhanced range of motion given by the updated butterfly shoulder joints, so your Jedi can comfortably actually hold their lightsabers in two-handed grips. It’s taken over a decade of Black Series figures—Revenge of the Sith versions of Obi-Wan and Anakin were some of the very first in the Black Series line, releasing the year after it debuted in 2013—and there have been many Anakins and Obi-Wans in various forms in that time, but it’s great that the 20th anniversary of the film is delivering this iteration of the characters the figures they deserve.

    And yet… you really are losing out on a lot more in comparison to the original two-pack. Even beyond the massive display pieces of the Mustafarian lava platforms (and that poor droid Anakin sled around the lava flow on in the movie), the SDCC two-pack came with alternate hands to recreate Anakin and Obi-Wan pushing against each other with the Force and alternate lightsaber blade parts to create the effect of them being swung mid-motion. There was even a nifty little “clash” piece that you could slot the blades into to make it look like a flash of light as the sabers landed blows on each other. I was lucky enough to nab the set earlier this month and had a lot of fun futzing around with them—not just because the figures are great, but for all the extras they came with:

    Maybe the biggest loss, however, are the two alternate heads that were included. Well, one more than the other: the battle-worn Obi-Wan head was great, but it was also just a more-distressed-looking Obi-Wan with his hair not as immaculately coiffed. The alternate Anakin head, meanwhile, was full on his descent into the dark side made manifest—a proper Vader head, with the orange eyes and angry glower to match and maybe actually Hasbro’s best take on Hayden Christensen so far. Back in 2014, the first Revenge of the Sith Anakin came with a similar head, so why couldn’t the standalone release do the same all these years later?

    Don’t get me wrong, in losing so many extras, you’re also getting two great figures for much cheaper. It’s $50 for the standalone Anakin and Obi-Wan compared to the hefty $110 of the SDCC; a pretty fair trade-off, especially with the platform display pieces making up the bulk of that extra price tag. And it does mean, from the point of view of certain collectors, that the SDCC exclusive set remains more “exclusive” (never mind the fact that they sold it online as well during the convention). But would any value have really been lost if the regular versions of these figures at least came with the alternate heads? In the age of tariff uncertainty, would that have been too much to offset the Black Series’ current standard pricing, or would it have made the SDCC set sufficiently less “special”?

    At the end of the day, at least anyone who missed out or didn’t want to pay the hefty price tag during Comic-Con can still get the bits that really matter: the figures themselves. The new Black Series Anakin and Obi-Wan figures will go up for pre-order tomorrow, August 26, from 1 p.m. ET at Hasbro Pulse and other retailers.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    James Whitbrook

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  • Hasbro CEO: Time to Give AI a Seat at the D&D Game Table | Entrepreneur

    Hasbro CEO: Time to Give AI a Seat at the D&D Game Table | Entrepreneur

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    AI is already being used in game development — but it could soon go even further when it comes to the roleplaying games that millions of people play, says Hasbro’s CEO.

    At a Thursday Goldman Sachs event, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks said that the company is using AI internally to help develop games in “mostly machine-learning-based AI or proprietary AI as opposed to a ChatGPT approach.” Hasbro will use AI in the future as a knowledge and development assistant, giving the technology a seat at the game table.

    Development is just one part of the broader AI puzzle, though. Cocks says he’s more excited about how the technology could impact the day-to-day gameplay of Hasbro’s customers.

    Related: ‘Embrace the Change.’ How the CEO of a 101-Year-Old Toy Company Adapts to an Ever-Evolving Industry

    “If you look at a typical D&D player… I play with probably 30 or 40 people regularly,” Cocks said. “There’s not a single person who doesn’t use AI somehow for either campaign development or character development or story ideas. That’s a clear signal that we need to be embracing it.”

    Cocks gave examples of AI helping D&D players with storytelling and introductions and said that those use cases could apply to other brands within the company. Hasbro’s portfolio includes Transformers, Star Wars, and Marvel. Over 50 million people around the world play Dungeons & Dragons.

    In an interview with Entrepreneur in July, Cocks said that one of the most exciting projects he was working on was a refresh of Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition. He also spoke more broadly about how Hasbro balances tradition with innovation as a company in business for over 100 years.

    Related: She Turned Her Airy Side Hustle Into a $255 Million Business and ‘Captured Lightning in a Bottle’ — Here’s How

    “While history doesn’t repeat, it definitely rhymes — so major technology innovations and major changes in entertainment are something Hasbro has faced many, many times,” he said at the time. “Probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned from it is to embrace the change and not fight it. When we embrace [change], we win, and we come out on top.”

    Cocks also emphasized the importance of safe, responsible AI development at the event on Thursday, and stated that he wanted to pay creators for their work and make sure to label AI-generated content.

    Related: Using AI to Promote Your Business? New TikTok Labels Will Let Everyone Know

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    Sherin Shibu

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  • Studio Trigger Rolls Out With a Mysterious Transformers Anime Project

    Studio Trigger Rolls Out With a Mysterious Transformers Anime Project

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    Along with Hollywood’s massive live-action movies, the Transformers have been cutting up on the small screen with multiple TV shows over the years. While Transformers: Earthspark’s second season just hit Paramount+ back in June, something brand new appears to be waiting in the wings.

    Earlier in the week, anime studio Trigger (best known for Promare, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and Delicious in Dungeon) revealed it was working on something to celebrate the popular toy franchise’s newest benchmark. The Robots in Disguise turn 40 this year, and the short teaser features some brief glimpses of series mascots Optimus Prime and Megatron (plus Bumblebee and Hot Rod) in the famous G1 versions of their iconic designs, and Trigger’s reimagining of those. (Interestingly, some eagle-eyed viewers spotted Optimus from Transformers Animated!) But as far as what Trigger is specifically making—like a simple celebration video or something bigger like an intro for an unannounced game—is currently under wraps.

    Transformers and animationn have always been tight, but this marks the franchise’s third time dipping into actual anime following Transformers: Cybertron in 2005 and the Japan-only Transformers Go! in 2015. Conversely, Trigger is no stranger to the mecha scene: beginning with 2018’s Darling in the Franxx, it’s worked on mecha projects under the Gridman series. Given the studio’s larger pedigree, it’ll be exciting to see what Trigger’s doing for the franchise’s birthday, because you know it’ll look good as hell.

    While we wait for more information on this mysterious Transformers venture, Transformers One may scratch any itch you have for some good animated material from the franchise. That movie hits theaters on September 20, and you can look forward to our review closer to release.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Justin Carter

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  • Hasbro’s Green Goblin Replica Helmet Should Talk to Me, Dammit

    Hasbro’s Green Goblin Replica Helmet Should Talk to Me, Dammit

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    Today, Hasbro announced its latest addition to its line of Marvel Legends prop replicas with a hell of a bang—new toys inspired by Willem Dafoe’s iconic take on the Green Goblin, in the form of a new replica mask and pumpkin bomb. Inspired by their re-appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home, they’re pricey, lavish, and very cool… but they’re missing the ultimate feature.

    The helmet should talk to you! Alas, there are no electronic sound features in the Legends Goblin helmet at all. The sold-separate pumpkin bomb, meanwhile, includes light and sound FX for $40, including, of all things, Dafoe’s manic cackle. But the helmet itself? Not a single extra feature, save for being a 1:1 replica that comes with its own stand.

    Don’t get me wrong, it’s very cool, but come on. The whole deal with the mask was Norman seeing it as his Goblin persona talking to him directly! It would’ve been perfect if, like several of Hasbro’s other roleplay helmets, it lifted a few lines from the films to hauntingly sneer at you while this giant green helmet sits on your shelf.

    Maybe it was a licensing issue—after all, Hasbro has to call it a No Way Home Green Goblin helmet, rather than invoking the Raimi Spider-Man films. Maybe the cackle in the pumpkin bomb is all they could use, rather than actual dialogue. But then why put it in the pumpkin bomb over the helmet? At an already lofty $125, would the price on the helmet have gone up that much with a sound FX feature?

    It’s still a very cool helmet. But it could’ve been so much cooler. Both the Marvel Legends Roleplay Green Goblin Helmet and the Electronic Pumpkin will be available to preorder starting tomorrow, ahead of a release this fall.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    James Whitbrook

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  • E-commerce is witnessing the Amazon-ification of Shein, as the fast-fashion behemoth woos skincare and toy brands

    E-commerce is witnessing the Amazon-ification of Shein, as the fast-fashion behemoth woos skincare and toy brands

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    E-commerce giant Shein is spreading its arms to envelope more than just the fashion and apparel for which it’s known—and it’s starting to look like another familiar online market platform in the process.

    Shein is wooing brands such as household goods conglomerate Colgate-Palmolive, toy maker Hasbro, and skincare brands to sell their products in its marketplace, Reuters reported Tuesday. The company, known for affordable and stylish clothes—albeit made with concerns about labor practices and its environmental impact—is taking steps to create a platform that is everything to everyone.

    “Everybody associates Shein with fashion, but we are doing all verticals,” Christina Fontana, Shein’s senior director of brand operations for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said at a Paris conference on April 17, according to Reuters.

    “Our consumers want brands, [so] if that’s what they’re looking for, that’s what we’re going to give them,” she added.

    Shein’s outward expansion is a clear tactic to take a bigger piece of the e-commerce pie, Steve Tadelis, economic analysis and policy professor at the University of California at Berkeley, told Fortune. 

    Shein has the largest fast-fashion market share in the U.S, and its annual profit doubled to $2 billion in 2023 from the year before. It’s eyeing an IPO and a whopping $90 billion valuation. While the size of its retail empire still pales in comparison to Amazon’s stranglehold on 38% of the U.S. e-commerce market, Tadelis said Shein will want to go after the industry leader. 

    “It shouldn’t be surprising that with all of the regulators around the world and talking about the Amazon monopoly that needs to be reined in, well, Shein is now taking a bite out of their apple and will probably take more of those bites,” he said.

    Shein’s big wins

    Shein, a China-based fast-fashion platform founded by billionaire Sky Xu in 2008, has skyrocketed to success and 45 million monthly users through its massive and efficient production and distribution strategies.

    Using AI and electronic monitoring, Shein is able to identify online trends, turn to its suppliers to manufacture small batches of products, then take initial sales data to decide to mass produce a product. The system nearly guarantees the company has its finger on the pulse of trends and can deliver goods fast, though it’s gotten into hot water over allegations of copyright infringement and data scraping, as well as the proliferation of counterfeit product listings.

    Even as regulatory bodies, like the European Union’s European Commission, have tried to put checks and balances on the company to stymie its questionable business practices, Shein may have found a way around that. 

    John Deighton, professor emeritus at the Harvard Business School, told Fortune that Shein’s strategy of incorporating more brand names onto its platform will only help the company dodge increased attention: The site could soon be flooded with thousands of listings from familiar and trusted products, such as Colgate toothpaste and Play-Doh, essentially telling regulatory bodies there’s nothing to see here.

    “They won’t get caught up by the scrutiny,” Deighton said.

    Butting heads with Amazon

    Shein’s behind-the-scenes methodology makes expanding beyond fashion a natural next step, Tadelis argued. With an efficient infrastructure in place, Shein is able to be more nimble in expanding outward from apparel.

    “I really think this is a smart business decision of saying, ‘We have an amazing logistics network, let’s start expanding it into other areas where we could procure cheap products,’” he added.

    Rui Ma, tech analyst and COO of market research platform AlphaWatch.AI, told Fortune that Shein’s secure spot in apparel offers another advantage in its race to beat Amazon. Fashion is a notoriously finicky sector, and Amazon, despite dipping its toe into the world of apparel, hasn’t been able to see the same success as Shein, Ma said.

    “It’s been very—historically—very difficult to match up demand supply,” she said. “It’s not been a particularly easy category.”

    But as Shein takes pages out of Amazon’s playbook, Amazon is simultaneously doing the same to Shein. Amazon announced last December it would slash seller fees from 17% to 5% for apparel under $15, with apparel between $15 to $20 triggering a 10% fee, starting in January. The company said on Monday its packages are getting delivered faster than ever: 60% of orders placed in 60 major U.S. cities arrived the same day or day after the order was placed. According to the company, that’s part of its longstanding efforts to stay on top of the e-commerce market and tend to customer needs. Shein customers may have to wait 14 days for their orders to arrive.

    Tadelis believes this is par for the course. Just as in most markets, company philosophies start to converge on each other when one finds an effective formula.

    “There’s no surprise that these things are looking more alike,” he said. “Because once there’s a good, winning strategy … then you’re going to see imitators.”

    For the consumer, there will certainly appear to be copycatting and similarities in promotions and perks across e-commerce platforms. But Ma said, don’t be fooled by Shein’s bid to mime its competitors. The site might start to look a lot like Amazon in its offerings, but behind the scenes, it’s very much sticking with its unique logistics network.

    “It might feel the same to us as consumers. It’s going to become more of an everything store,” she told Fortune. “But how it builds that experience, I think the logic is very different from Amazon.”

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    Sasha Rogelberg

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  • Hasbro’s New Star Wars Toys Embrace the Dark Side

    Hasbro’s New Star Wars Toys Embrace the Dark Side

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    Image: Hasbro

    Star Wars products love a theme moment—Force Friday, Triple Force Friday, whatever the Force Friday equivalent for Rogue One was called. Maybe they just love Fridays, but now Lucasfilm and its merch partners are capitalizing on a whole month to sell you things, with a specific villainous twist.

    This March is now Imperial March, because, well, duh, and Lucasfilm is planning a bunch of new merchandise announcements with a suitably evil theme. Hasbro is leading the charge with a wave of new figures from Jedi: Fallen Order, Ahsoka, and classic Star Wars across its 6″ and 3.75″ toy lines, and although “Imperial March” will be long done by the time any of them come out, it’s still nice to see what’s in store for the baddies on your shelves this year.

    The Jedi: Fallen Order three-pack (featuring the vision of an Inquistor Cal Kestis, the Second Sister, and a Purge Trooper) will release this spring exclusively through Amazon for $75, while the Vintage Collection Captain Enoch and Night Trooper pack ($55), as well as the individual Darth Vader and Stormtrooper releases ($17 each), will be available from Hasbro Pulse and other retailers this summer. Click through to see pictures!

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    James Whitbrook

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