logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2024
51m 28s

How a Traditional Toymaker Is Going Big ...

bloomberg
About this episode

Hasbro has been making toys for decades, including many classic favorites like G.I. Joe and My Little Pony. But in recent years, it's also been going big on digital games. An app version of the classic board game Monopoly — called Monopoly GO! — has become one of the top mobile games of all time and grossed billions in revenue since it launched last year. Hasbro also owns Wizards of the Coast, the publisher of Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and the best-selling video game Baldur's Gate 3. So why is gaming such a big growth market for a traditional toymaker? Where is the market heading? And how does a big company judge the success of "freemium" apps like Monopoly GO!? On this episode, we speak to Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks about the business of gaming.

Read More at Bloomberg.com:

Hasbro Stock Rises on Digital Gaming Strength
Hasbro Names Microsoft’s John Hight to Lead Wizards Gaming Division 

Only Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox each week, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at  bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Yesterday
Lev Menand on Trump's Attempt to Fire the Fed's Lisa Cook
Criticism and threats to Federal Reserve independence have been building for some time in this administration. But it was taken to a new height on August 25, when Trump posted that he intended to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook, a Biden appointee. According to our guest, Columbia Law ... Show More
28m 41s
Yesterday
Adam Posen on a Surreal Jackson Hole in a Post-American World
The annual Jackson Hole symposium is, formally speaking, an academic conference. Economists and central bankers gather to discuss the most important, cutting edge ideas in monetary policy. But there was certainly a different feel this year because of the relentless attacks on Fed ... Show More
57m 41s
Aug 25
Tom Barkin on Why Central Banking Is on Hard Mode Now
According to Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Tom Barkin, much of the time central banking is straightforward. Sometimes it's clear that rate cuts are needed. Sometimes it's clear that rate hikes are needed. Other times everything is going great, and central bankers don't ... Show More
28m 45s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
Activision Blizzard: What Microsoft Got for $69 Billion
Last year, Microsoft closed its takeover of Activision Blizzard, the maker of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and Candy Crush. In the months that followed, interest rates rose, expectations changed, and Microsoft Gaming eliminated 8% of its workforce. Jason Schreier is the author of Play ... Show More
36m 47s
Oct 2024
What happened to Activision Blizzard?
The video game industry is bigger than movies and music combined. As part of our ongoing Skin in the Game series, we’re chatting with journalist Jason Schreier about the rise and fall of Blizzard, the company behind such games as World of Warcraft. It’s a story about the push and ... Show More
8m 21s
Aug 2
🐲 Pokémon: The Little Monsters that Played Their Cards Right
Subscribe to The Best Idea Yet here: https://wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/What do you get when you mix a passion for collecting bugs with an obsession for video games? For Satoshi Tajiri, the answer is the world's largest media franchise (over $92 billion revenue — more th ... Show More
9m 52s
Dec 2024
Jingle Deals
It's Christmas Eve and we've seen some big last-minute buys in the world of mergers and acquisitions - Leanna Byrne finds out what big moves have been happening.The boss behind one of the world's most famous film studios, Pinewood Group, tells Wake Up to Money why the industry is ... Show More
52m 55s
Dec 2023
Epic Games wins antitrust fight against Google
Epic Games wins antitrust fight against Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) over app store monopoly. (00:23) Hasbro (HAS) to cut 900 jobs as it seeks to cut expenses. (01:51) Nokia (NOK) trims 2026 profit margin target after losing AT&T (T) contract. (02:37) Episode transcripts seekingalpha.co ... Show More
6m 35s
Oct 2024
The perks and perils of licensed games, and games journalism's ongoing struggle
Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube.Th ... Show More
43m 18s
Jul 17
CATAN: Reid Hoffman’s favorite board game for business leaders
The board game CATAN has sold 45 million copies worldwide since Klaus Teuber invented it 30 years ago. It’s Reid Hoffman’s favorite board game for business leaders. He sat down with brothers Benjamin and Guido Teuber, who now run the business of CATAN, to talk about how they’ve k ... Show More
27m 11s
Feb 2019
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson on sports gambling and buying Time Warner
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about the potential of 5G internet, AT&T's 2018 acquisition of Time Warner and how the company is thinking about sports gambling in the U.S. In this episode: What does 5G internet actually mean for consumers?; when will ... Show More
31m 29s
Sep 2024
Microcast: The Pokémon vs Palworld legal battle we did (and didn't) expect
Welcome to the weekly GI Microcast giving you the latest in video games news. Join James Batchelor and Chris Dring as they give you their take on the biggest stories in video games. Never miss an episode and subscribe to the GI Microcast on all podcasting platforms and YouTube.Th ... Show More
39m 1s
May 11
70,000 Bets a Minute: How FanDuel’s Parent Is Winning at Sports Gambling
This week, we’re bringing you an episode of Bold Names, which presents conversations with the leaders of the bold-named companies featured in the pages of The Wall Street Journal. On this episode, hosts Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims speak to Peter Jackson, the CEO of Flutter E ... Show More
33m 15s