Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks hasn't had the smoothest run since taking over the company in 2022. But the CEO says the toy giant's next act is clear: More video games--and no generative AI in some of its franchises, especially on the video game front.
Speaking on Decoder with Nilay Patel, Cocks discussed a slew of topics, including tariffs and how they're affecting everyone, especially amid layoffs, and how he wants to lean harder on digital games built around its most valuable properties.
Cocks joined Hasbro in 2016 after a stint at Microsoft to run Wizards of the Coast, the division behind Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. Those brands remain central to Hasbro's gaming push, which includes major investments and new projects like the sci-fi RPG Exodus from Archetype Entertainment.
What won’t be part of that push: generative AI.
"There are some brands that the audience, the creators, just don't want it," Cocks said. "So we don't even have it in our pipelines for our video games or for Magic: The Gathering or D&D." While Cocks doesn't completely omit the idea of using gen-AI for concepts, he's committed to at least make sure the games have an all-human element--a notable shift from late 2024, when he suggested AI's integration was inevitable.
On Decoder, he sounded far more skeptical, calling generative AI in creative work "a bit of 'garbage in, garbage out'" and adding that "it's humans who inspire the good ideas and follow through on them."
The stance also reflects lessons learned. In 2023, artwork in the D&D sourcebook Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants was found to include AI-generated elements, triggering backlash from fans. Wizards of the Coast reprinted the book and introduced strict rules banning generative AI in D&D projects. Similar guidelines were later applied to Magic after marketing imagery tied to the Ravnica Remastered release drew criticism.
Cocks may still use AI tools in his personal tabletop sessions--he joked that the amount of AI-generated assets on his PC "would floor you." But when it comes to Hasbro's expansion into the digital realm, the company is sticking with human creators.
Source
Speaking on Decoder with Nilay Patel, Cocks discussed a slew of topics, including tariffs and how they're affecting everyone, especially amid layoffs, and how he wants to lean harder on digital games built around its most valuable properties.
Cocks joined Hasbro in 2016 after a stint at Microsoft to run Wizards of the Coast, the division behind Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. Those brands remain central to Hasbro's gaming push, which includes major investments and new projects like the sci-fi RPG Exodus from Archetype Entertainment.
What won’t be part of that push: generative AI.
"There are some brands that the audience, the creators, just don't want it," Cocks said. "So we don't even have it in our pipelines for our video games or for Magic: The Gathering or D&D." While Cocks doesn't completely omit the idea of using gen-AI for concepts, he's committed to at least make sure the games have an all-human element--a notable shift from late 2024, when he suggested AI's integration was inevitable.
On Decoder, he sounded far more skeptical, calling generative AI in creative work "a bit of 'garbage in, garbage out'" and adding that "it's humans who inspire the good ideas and follow through on them."
The stance also reflects lessons learned. In 2023, artwork in the D&D sourcebook Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants was found to include AI-generated elements, triggering backlash from fans. Wizards of the Coast reprinted the book and introduced strict rules banning generative AI in D&D projects. Similar guidelines were later applied to Magic after marketing imagery tied to the Ravnica Remastered release drew criticism.
Cocks may still use AI tools in his personal tabletop sessions--he joked that the amount of AI-generated assets on his PC "would floor you." But when it comes to Hasbro's expansion into the digital realm, the company is sticking with human creators.
Source