Hasbro established Wizards of the Coast Studios in Montreal to produce entertainment content exclusively for its Dungeons & Dragons franchise, according to Retail Dive. The studio represents a shift from licensing IP to external producers toward building narrative assets under one roof. The move follows D&D's 2023 film release and the brand's expanding footprint in streaming, gaming, and licensed merchandise.
The studio will develop content across formats — film, television, digital — all tied to the D&D world. By centralizing production, Hasbro controls release schedules, character arcs, and merchandising windows. When a studio owns both the IP and the production pipeline, it decides when a new character drops, when the toy ships, and when the campaign book releases. External licensing deals introduce lag and split revenue. In-house production closes that gap.
This works because content and product are the same business when the brand owns manufacturing. A new D&D character introduced in a streaming series can be in retail as a miniature, a dice set, or a collector's box within weeks if the studio and product team share a roadmap. Licensing requires negotiation, approval layers, and revenue splits that reduce margin. Owned content lets the brand keep the merchandising upside and synchronize launch beats across channels.
For a physical product brand with a strong story or universe, the play is smaller but structurally identical. Instead of a Montreal studio, you produce episodic content on YouTube, TikTok, or a podcast feed that expands your product's world. A candle brand tells the story behind each scent through a serialized audio narrative. A knife brand produces short films showing the blade in survival scenarios. A board game company releases animated shorts featuring its characters between product launches.
The mechanics: pick one product with narrative potential, then script six to eight episodes that build a world around it. Shoot or record in-house using a smartphone, a freelance editor on Upwork for $300 to $800 per episode, and a simple release calendar. Publish weekly. Each episode closes with a product tie-in — not a pitch, just a natural story beat that shows the item in use. Link to the product page in the description. Track which episodes drive traffic and sales, then produce more in that vein.
The content becomes the top-of-funnel asset. It builds an audience that returns for the story, not the product, but buys because the product is part of the story. When you own both the content and the SKU, you control the entire funnel and keep all the margin. You also own the IP, so the content can be repurposed, licensed, or sold later if the brand scales.
The broader pattern: as attention fragments and ads become more expensive, owned content that builds a recurring audience becomes the most efficient customer acquisition channel for physical brands with any narrative dimension. Hasbro is doing it at studio scale. A solo brand does it with a camera and a Google Doc.
Owned content tied to owned product lets you control timing, margin, and narrative without splitting revenue with external producers.
Editorial & Disclosure Notice: This article was written with artificial intelligence from public sources and is published without individual human review. Artificial intelligence and other digital tools are also used for research, analysis, editing, formatting, and production. Errors, omissions, outdated information, or inaccuracies may occur. References to companies, brands, products, services, organizations, or individuals are for informational and editorial purposes and do not imply endorsement, sponsorship, affiliation, partnership, or approval unless expressly stated. All trademarks and other intellectual property remain the property of their respective owners. Opinions, analysis, estimates, and commentary are informational only and should not be construed as financial, investment, legal, tax, medical, procurement, or other professional advice. Information may be corrected, clarified, or updated after publication. Corrections or removal requests: jenny@pops4.com.
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