27 May 2024
Under the Radar: Transformers, MONOPOLY, Play-Doh maker Hasbro on IP licensing, power brands that drive growth, money up for grabs in the movies and entertainment space
Optimus Prime is in the house today as we speak to the company behind the Transformers franchise.
Founded in 1923, our guest Hasbro actually started out selling textile remnants and pencil boxes before becoming the leading toy and game company it is today.
Now, the firm aspires to entertain and connect generations of fans through the exhilaration of play.
Some of the names under the company’s portfolio include Play-Doh, Monopoly, Peppa Pig, Transformers, Dungeons & Dragons, Hasbro Games as well as other premier partner brands.
The firm had in April reported a smaller-than-expected drop in Q1 sales as leaner inventories and a steady stream of digital gaming revenue bolstered it from softer demand for toys.
But with Grand View Research valuing the global toys and games market at US$324.7 billion in 2023 and the industry set to grow at a CAGR of 4.3% from 2024 to the end of the decade (2030), how does Hasbro assess its road ahead? Which brands will continue to drive growth?
Speaking of brands, the firm appears to be doubling down on its Monopoly brand, especially after the Monopoly Go mobile game reached US$2 billion in revenue in the first 10 months since its launch.
For one thing, it had in April this year signed a deal with LuckyChap, the award winning production company headed by Margot Robbie to produce a motion picture movie based on the Monopoly classic board game.
A Transformers animated movie is also set to release in September. But how far will movie production help Hasbro drive mind-share and profits looking at the success of its competitor Mattel and the Barbie movie?
On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Bhavesh Somaya, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, Hasbro.

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