Space Marine 2 developer is making a game based on ‘tentpole’ Hasbro IP

Hasbro, the toy company that owns Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers, and more, has announced that it’s making a “AAA” video game with the Saber Interactive team that made Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.

The news came straight from Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks during an earnings call on Thursday. Cocks said the game would be based on one of Hasbro’s “tentpole IPs.”

“We have many new digital collaborations in the works, but I’m especially excited to announce this one today, being a personal fan of many of this team’s games,” Cocks said. “Hasbro and Saber Interactive will be collaborating on an all-new video game partnership developed by the team behind 2024’s megahit, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. 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.”

Answering questions from investors, Cocks described the agreement as a “co-publishing deal,” and was specific on which internal Saber team would be doing the work. “We will use the Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 team to develop the project,” he said, calling them “some of the best talent in the industry.” Saber is a sprawling company with many studios and subsidiaries, but the well-received Space Marine 2 was made at the company’s studio in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Hasbro, buoyed by the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 (and of its mobile game, Monopoly Go), has several self-funded, internal video game projects underway, driven by experienced studios. These include a major new Dungeons & Dragons game from the developers of Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance; Exodus, a sci-fi role-playing game by ex-BioWare developers; a G.I. Joe game starring Snake Eyes coming from Atomic Arcade; and an unnamed game from Skeleton Key.

The question is: Which “tentpole” will Saber be working on? Given Space Marine 2’s excellence as a shooter, the mind immediately goes to Transformers (a franchise sorely in need of a decent video game), or perhaps G.I. Joe. But D&D and Magic might be on the table, too.