Hasbro and Space Marine II Devs Team on “Tentpole” IP Game

After Baldur’s Gate 3 took the world by storm in 2023 (and continues to do so), Hasbro decided it liked working with big game studios to adapt its properties. Now it seems they’ve found their next big partner in Saber Interactive, developers behind Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II.

During its recent earnings call, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks revealed the two companies are collaborating on “an all-new video game partnership. Combining high-octane single-player action and amazing multiplayer with Saber’s Swarm tech, this new AAA title, based on one of our tentpole IPs, is sure to be a hit.” The news is interesting for a few reasons: Saber has several subsidiaries under its belt—one is making an Avatar game—but Cocks specifically namechecks the St. Petersberg team that led development on Space Marine II. That game was extremely popular and one of the biggest Warhammer 40K video games to date, which explains why this team got the gig.

As for what “tentpole” Hasbro property this is, that’s the question on everyone’s minds. One of the easiest picks is Transformers; in January, developer Splash Damage revealed it canceled development on Transformers: Reactivate, a co-op shooter that would’ve been the franchise’s first major, non tie-in game in quite a while. There’s also a chance it could be G.I. Joe (since they’re coming back to theaters with the Transformers) or Magic: The Gathering (which has started getting a huge expanded media push lately). It could also just as likely be Dungeons & Dragons: before Baldur’s Gate 3, there was 2021’s Dark Alliance, a co-op action-RPG going offline on Monday, and Saber’s name attached to a new D&D game would turn heads.

So there’s a handful of candidates Saber could choose from. Let us know your guesses (or hopes) in the comments below.

[via Polygon]

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.