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Worst Hasbro Scandal Yet and Why Habsro NEEDS D&D (Patreon)

Published:
2023-12-16 14:24:19
Imported:
2026-06
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Videos

Content

PDM analyzes the layoff and predicts what happens to Hasbro next. 

Files

Previews only

Hasbro in a Death Spiral

Comments

Bagel-Man

Excited to watch PDM!

David Ford

Great video. I, for one, really like watching videos and listening to gaming podcasts over the holidays. Family is sooo overrated 😉. The laugh out loud moment of the video was when you stated that you’ve spent 50 years in school and can’t wait to get out so you can play D&D.

A Name Apart

Why you are blocked, "Surveys back up that claim. More than 70 percent of Democrats who were single and looking would not consider dating someone who voted for Trump, according to a 2020 Pew Research Center poll — much larger than the share who said they wouldn’t date a Republican. On the other side of the aisle, Republicans were more likely to overlook a prospective date either being a Democrat or casting a vote for Clinton"

A Name Apart

Why there are so many "go back to school games" I would guess and I bet the data backs it up: going after the female demographic

Matthew Crismali

Happy Holidays to you and yours, Dan. Thanks for the content.

Graham Kane

Great video. Knew you would be all over this one! Like you I was wondering how the VTT will end up being played as its strength really seems to be designing and running dungeons. I'll be honest I thought dungeon crawling had really fallen out of favour with the 5E crowd. For context, my own regular gaming group has about 85 players with 15 games running weekly. The vast majority are running 5E with a sprinkling of other games like CoC, Vampire, 2EAD&D and myself running Deathbringer. I'm pretty much the only DM who runs dungeon crawls as a regular thing and it's seen as something of a curiosity. What the other DMs run are the more epic, sprawling adventures and I don't think the VTT is geared up for that sort of game. But if it encourages more players to go the dungeon route then great! You're also spot on about the decline of physical toys and the fact that only older collectors are buying them! If you're interested look into Hasbro Plus and their HasLab studio. This is basically Hasbro looking for crowdfunding for new products without them having to risk any capital of their own. There's a Youtube channel called Retroblasting which covers this stuff in depth. Anyway, hope your daughter enjoyed her trip to our little country! Take it easy over the holiday season and Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you and yours.

Jeff Jones

Is Cynthia Williams any relation to Lorraine Williams?

baldrage

So WOTC doesn't know how their own game is played? And they're spending ~$200 million on a VTT that they don't know how it's going to be used? And they laid off the last few people at WOTC that knew anything about RPG design? Time to short Hasbro stock folks, this company has no clue what they're doing. Pride comes before the fall, and somewhere THACO The Clown is smiling.

Jeff Jones

Is Cynthia Williams any relation to Lorraine Williams?

Drago Russo

Merry Christmas to you and your family. I actually have quite a bit of feedback about what players are looking for. I am approaching now 200 paid sessions on Start Playing Games and there is a clear divide as you have noticed and remarked.

Jim Van Cura

PDM, your son enlisted in the military... which branch? I was a Cavalryman in the Army, so just curious. He let them cut his hair? Happy Holidays!

Rufus Lynks

Sadly the Board of Directors system within the US is broken. It is considered one of the most inbreed in the world. Boards are populated by such a fraternity that most shareholders are marginalized, at best. I'm not saying we should not fight the good fight, just that everyone should be prepared for a protracted war and not a quick fight.

Steven Fader

Interesting video and take PDM, thanks! They are likely extending their cash runway and betting on their "nextgen" digital products to turn things around. In the meantime they have debt payments coming up they need to manage and are going through cost cutting, which is what a lot of companies are doing in the current economy. One quibble. The CEO didn't get $10M in cash, it looks like he got @ $2M in cash and @ $8M in stock awards/options, which is disclosed in their most recent proxy statement. Those stock options/awards are valued at $8M on day 1, but rely on the future stock price and how the options vest over time (more than likely using a Black Scholes Valuation or something like it to get their fair value on the grant date). They can't just sell them for $8M on issuance and walk away. When the executives do poorly, the stock price dips and they do end up taking a paycut through their current and future equity. It's why their compensation is structured that way. It isn't perfect, but it does work in a lot of ways. Also, any options that have vested are likely way out of the money (the strike price on the option is higher than the value of the equity). People (not you PDM) keep saying that he is walking away with $10M and that is just not the case from what I see. Executives going first sounds good on paper but ultimately would erode that company further. The execs have bet on a strategy, the board likely approved it and the shareholders control the board. They need to see it through now. If the execs got fired, the stock price would likely drop further which would erode Hasbro's ability to manage and deploy capital further which likely leads to... more cost cutting and, ultimately, layoffs. They have to make their not insubstantial obligations and, therefore, need to keep their options open for accessing capital while minimizing spend. Is the current situation the executives fault? The stuff in their control and that could be foreseen, for sure. However, we have yet to see if their overall plan is a winner or loser in the long-term (which is where it matters). If everything comes up great for them in the next 2-3 years the OGL fiasco, the layoffs, and all this will be a small stumbling blocks in a case study of success. Does it suck for people getting layed off, sure, but it seems a lot of them were making products people stopped supporting and buying so the writing was on the wall there I think. I hope they crash and burn, but I am not rushing to short their stock either. Thanks again and happy holidays!

Daniel Defazio

Thank you, Steven. The part about compensation will be be corrected in the YouTube version.

Rufus Lynks
>>124684427

Jim, where were you? I was a 19D from 90-93, 5/17 in Korea and 2/4 at Stewart.

Brent Norton

Matt has put out some good videos of late. His “What is a dungeon for anyway.” Is good as it describes why 5e shouldn’t have a 10” pole on it equipment list. Opinion: I think the going to school thing is for the Harry Potter crowd. Enjoy the Christmas and New Years with family and friends. I haven’t ran a game since Thanksgiving as it’s harder to get groups together for holidays and school activities, but it’s giving me time to work on our pirates campaign.

Steven Fader
>>124687173

You can double check me, but I think I have the right of it. To be clear it was 2022 salary, page 52 of the 2023 proxy (executive comp table). It has footnotes that explain what each item is, I just assumed "other" compensation is cash. It also has Cynthia Williams compensation as well as the other execs. All items are footnoted if you want some riveting bedtime reading. Cheers!

MrGunn

Thanks PDM enjoy time with your family. Merry Christmas, God bless us every one. For those of you of different faiths and ideals, I wish you success and prosperity in the New Year.

Ian Butterworth

If you are only tweaking your existing rules, rather than rebuilding them, you don't need someone with the talent Mike Mearls has. He did come up with an interesting theoretical initiative system, but would best be suited for small groups.

Saltheart

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Safe Travels to You and Your Family over the Holidays!!! Thanks for All YOU Do! God Bless!

Jay

Am I the only one who sees the parallels between WOTC and Disney Executives in regard to bad policy, stupid decisions, and being completely out of touch with their designers and fan base? Both companies got themselves into this mess and it sucks to see the hard working people who try to produce a good products get the shaft RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS...Knowing they were going to do this to them six months ago with no heads up is just plain Lawful Evil at its core.

SJBehindtheScreen

Wishing you a happy holiday season PDM, and to all the patreon community as well. You've provided us with outstanding content this year, fun, thought-provoking, and always timely!

Keith

I've read anecdotes that some crowdfunding campaigns don't end up raising quite enough money to cover expenses. How common is underfunding in the crowdfunding arena?

Daniel Defazio
>>124708786

Good question. It depends on who is doing the crowdfunding. MCDM and Darrington Press have large teams. Shadowdark and Knave are pretty much a one designer show. And if the project does not fund in time, it is cancelled, so the designer only loses the investment of time and whatever it cost to make the prototype.

Steven Fader
>>124708786

My experiences are limited to me (so a microcosm for sure), but I have had a small minority of campaigns I participated in not fund. I have had almost as many fund and I never received my pledge. I have recently had one kickstarter that the creators came back and asked for more money twice or they would not ship my pledge. I have probably backed @ 100 campaigns at this point, mostly in kickstarter, for reference. Under funding seems pretty rare at this point in my experience.

Christopher Gauci

Merry Christmas PDM. To you and all your lovely family. You're awesome.

Jethro

Merry Christmas and have a lovely new year.

Karl
>>124669451

If we are wondering how Hasbro will finally figure out how people play this game, the answer will most likely be in the agreement that players sign that will allow Hasbro to turn on your cameras and mics and listen in on the game you’re playing as it happens. Sleep tight, all you content generators out there!!

Rufus Lynks
>>124684427

I'm told Korea is much different now as an assignment. I was in the field for 280 days out of 15 months. Wouldn't trade that experience for the world, though. Please give you son my best.

Frederic Schmitt

Players play what I am willing to GM. Thats what the M in GM stands for :D Also Mary Christmas and a healthy new year for all of you! Especially for you, dear PDM. May all your saving rolls be .. whats good on saving rolls in DnD? Also a 20, isnt it? May all your rolls be 20! Especially the saving rolls!

David Lake

Enjoy your time off, Professor. It’s time well earned. See you in ‘24.

Peter Ferguson

A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family PDM! Also a speedy recovery post procedure! Thanks for all the awesome content!

Olivier Brassard

Have a very happy holiday season with your family and loved ones, dear Professor. Take the time to relax and unwind. I hope that someone close to you will GM an unforgettable game for you! We'll try to do the same with our loved ones! Thank you for all the excellent videos you've produced for our enjoyment throughout the year. I raise my mug of ale to your health and prosperity. See you next year!

Steven Fader

Just came back to say, I just saw the youtube video and getting the longer cuts here is worth the price of admission alone. Happy holidays! PS: I was thinking about what you said about physical toys and I think you are right. Why do you think younger people have stopped buying physical toys? Board games/legos seem to still be big, even though they are expensive, with new generations, but why hasn't our love for other physical toys been passed down? The crash on action figures kind of surprises me.

Raven Shadowz

I hope your medical procedure is a great success.

Randy Smith

Merry Christmas! Have a great time with your family during your time off. Looking forward to seeing you in 2024.

Sinister Gaming

Longtime watcher new Patreon! Merry Christmas all, prayers to you PDM on you upcoming procedure. I hope you and your family have a great Christmas and New Years! - Aaron