Wow, thanks for the link!   I guess they're pulling out, after all.

HOWEVER, I'd like to point out something here: Disney historically NEVER makes their own toy products. So when a Finding Nemo toy hypothetically injures a child, they can claim complete ignorance. Also, when it turns out the toys are made by 10 yr olds in the Philippines, again they can say "we had no idea", because (after all), they only license these things!  

I'm surprised they went 1st party with the Infinity line at all, so it comes as no shock that they are retreating back into their shells. Disney does not like physical inventory - they prefer others take that risk.

But as your article clearly demonstrates, the Toy-to-Life boom may be ending. So by the time Hasbro pulls its head out of its @$$ and gets in on this.... yeah, we're talking about a predictable failure. Even if they move into virtual reality stuff... HUGE risk. The waters are untested and virtual reality is not a big seller right now (to my limited knowledge), meaning Hasbro would have to innovate and create that market. I'm not sure Hasbro has the ability to create demand like that. They've had poor success with their mobile or console games, so..

 

You do realize you just summed up ALL of Hasbro's brands right? Transformers, GI Joe, My Little Pony, and so on, they've been around for decades, and just get a reskin to "update" them.

 

I think the comparison is off. Monopoly is the same EXACT product. Same rules, same dice, same pieces (for the most part).

At least GI Joe gets new characters, redesigns, and significantly distinct (from each other) cartoon media. There's story.

Monopoly being a big seller kind of shows that the effort Hasbro has made to create this media is a waste of time. If TFs, for example, can sell the same as Monopoly, then Hasbro needs to cut the bungee on TFs: Monopoly is just cheaper to sell!  

But let's look at this from a different perspective: it's NOT that Monopoly is amazing enough to re-buy over and over and over, decade after decade after decade. The real reason? WHAT THE F*CK OTHER GAME IS THERE TO BUY FOR YOUR PARTY???   I mean, have you been to a game aisle? Where's the Monopoly killer app? What comes after Monopoly?

I think Hasbro is lucky to have Monopoly, a universally fun and interesting game that has yet to see a strong competitor. Game of Life, maybe?   Jenga? For my money, Monopoly is timeless, so it can print money no matter which version you sell. I hope the creator sees some royalties...