Hasbro cancels Dungeons & Dragons game from God of War veteran

A gaming industry veteran who directed games like God of War III and the first two installments in the Star Wars Jedi series, Stig Asmussen will no longer be working on a Dungeons & Dragons game. According to Bloomberg, Hasbro decided to withdraw funding from the Giant Skull studio and end development of the game.

This happened less than a year after the company announced the partnership, which would help it become one of the largest publishers on the market. The title, which would still take years to be released, was described as an action and adventure experience in a fantasy universe.

Stig Asmussen (director of the Star War Jedi games and God of War 3) has announced GIANT SKULL, his new studio.
The team is planning a AAA single-player focused action adventure, utilizing Unreal Engine 5.
Stig is one of the good ones — can’t wait to learn more! pic.twitter.com/3u9YWjTf6Y

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) March 12, 2024

In a statement sent to Bloomberg, Wizards of the Coast — a division of Hasbro that handles Dungeons & Dragons — explained the decision. According to the company, the change of direction was result of analysis of initial concepts shown by Giant Skull, which did not please.

Dungeons & Dragons game cancellation is not the end of Giant Skull

According to Bloomberg, Hasbro’s decision to cancel the Dungeons & Dragons game took place at the beginning of this year, but was only announced now. Consulted by the website, Asmussen states that he enjoyed his time working with Wizards of the Coast and doesn’t hold grudges about the situation.

He also explained that Giant Skull remains in a healthy state and is currently engaged in several conversations about potential publishing deals. Based in the city of Los Angeles, the company was announced as open to remote work and wants to produce Triple-A quality games based on Unreal Engine 5.

Image: Disclosure/Wizards of the Coast

In addition to Asmussen, the studio has industry veterans who worked on the Star Wars Jedi series and games such as Fortnite, Valorant and League of Legends. So far, no details have been released about the concept of the Dungeons & Dragons game that ended up being rejected.

Hasbro’s decision is part of a major overhaul of your businesswhich also resulted in the closure of developer Atomic Arcade. However, the company states that it will still invest around US$1 billion in game production, mainly focused on adapting its most successful franchises.

Source: Bloomberg