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under G.I. Joe Video Games

A week ago, we announced an invitation by the developers of G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra regarding a Community Playtest. However, the devs did not disclose a date for the event.

Today, we have learned through IARC (International Age Rating Coalition) that the game has been submitted for a formal rating. This would indicate that the game is ready for public testing.

Specs:

  • Classified Date: September 1st, 2023
  • Classification: PG
  • Classification Details: Mild Violence
  • Production Company: Freedom Games

Judging by IARC’s PG rating, we expect the ESRB rating to be ‘T for Teen’, and the PEGI rating to be PEGI-12.

The game is expected to be released worldwide in 2024.

under G.I. Joe Video Games

Hasbro attended a fireside chat at this year’s Goldman Sachs Communacopia & Technology Conference to speak about their general plan for the next 36 months. TFW2005 staff attended… so you don’t have to*.

The chat started with a discussion on the recent sale of eOne assets to Lionsgate. Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks mentioned that the toy giant is looking to ‘right-size’ their entertainment effort.

With toys, the company is focusing on ‘driving out costs, driving up share, and then driving growth’.

Hasbro is also looking to ‘fuel the very high-profit flame’ for digital games.

The company stated the following:

“And then just generally speaking [about] digital [gaming], there’s a massive opportunity both in licensing, and our owned and operated games inside of that area. You know, as particularly when you look at categories like mobile, there’s more and more of a premium that gaming companies are putting on brands that people have a strong affinity to; and breakthrough the clutter of these thousands of games that release literally every month. Whether it’s Monopoly on the casual-side, D&D or Magic: The Gathering on the more hardcore-side, or Transformers or G.I. Joe on the midcore-side, Hasbro has this amazing vault of IP that I think gives us a lot of ‘X Factor’ in terms of the value of the company and future potential of our brands.”

This statement comes just days after opening a new division (?) at Hasbro titled Hasbro Retro Arcade to focus more on the retro aspect of video games fueled by beat-’em-up styled arcade games such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, Streets of Rage 4, and Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons.

As the first initiative of Hasbro Retro Arcade, the company will debut G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra. It is likely that a Transformers game will follow soon.

Are you looking forward to more video games based on Hasbro properties? Let us know of your thoughts on the thread attached to this news post.

(*) A little Nostalgia Critic reference there.

under G.I. Joe Video Games

Atomic Arcade has posted another interview with one of their employees with regard to the upcoming AAA title G.I. Joe Snake Eyes.

Lead Systems Designer has this to say:

“As the Lead System Designer where have you and the Atomic team drawn inspiration from for your GI Joe Snake Eyes game?

We are looking at a lot of the big third-person action games from recent years, including Jedi Survivor, God of War, and Ghost of Tsushima. I’ve personally revisited games like Shadow of War and Ghost Recon Wildlands for progression ideas as well.

In general, I am trying to recapture the feeling of freedom that a lot of games have given me. Many games today tell the player what to do next rather than let the player discover it on their own. I miss that sense of exploration and discovery in games and think it’s a unique advantage of video games over other mediums. It’s been tricky to strike a nice balance between natural, organic player progression and strong narrative moments, but I’ve been really excited about the solutions we’ve been discussing.”

You can check out the full interview via Atomic Arcade.

under Jada

Facebook user Daniel Mccloud has stumbled upon a toy display shelf by Diecast Galaxy with what appears to be licensed diecast vehicles from our beloved G.I. Joe brand.

The photo showcases a G.I. Joe V.A.M.P and a Cobra Stinger at a RoadRunner convenience store (Kingsport).

Other fans have spotted the same at various 7-Elevens and at Lowe’s retail.

While the scale is not indicated, we speculated that the vehicles are at a 1:32 scale. It is also worth noting the similarity with Jada’s offering but without the package and the additional figure.

Each vehicle is priced at $7.99.

under G.I. Joe Movie

Following the sale of eOne, Hasbro has created a new entertainment division based on the remaining portion of the sold company.

Olivier Dumont will serve as president of Hasbro Entertainment, while Zev Foreman and Gabriel Marano will serve as the head of film and head of television, respectively.

“We are thrilled to embark on this new chapter, building upon our rich heritage of storytelling to continue delighting audiences across generations,” Dumont said. “Gabe, Zev, and I look forward to working with the industry’s best creative talent, studios, and distribution platforms to push the envelope with innovative storytelling that will let fans engage with their favorite brands like never before, while also building exciting new worlds and the next wave of Hasbro franchises for a growing audience.”

Hasbro is currently developing and producing over two dozen projects based on major IP like “Dungeons & Dragons,” “Transformers,” “GI JOE,” “NERF,” “Play-Doh,” “Magic: The Gathering,” “Peppa Pig,” and “My Little Pony.”

“Entertainment is core to Hasbro’s strategy and its mission to entertain and connect generations of fans through the wonder of storytelling and exhilaration of play,” said Tim Kilpin, president of toy licensing and entertainment for Hasbro. “Audiences can count on Hasbro to keep creating compelling and fun entertainment that brings to life our wide array of iconic brands, including ‘Peppa Pig,’ ‘My Little Pony,’ and ‘Transformers,’ reaching audiences through varied platforms in ways that resonate in today’s fast-paced world.”

under G.I. Joe Movie

Another day, another dollar… Actually, 500 million dollars!

Announcing their sale of eOne to Lionsgate, toy giant Hasbro kickstarted this quarter’s earnings call. However, they did not forget to comment on the future of the Transformers franchise as well as the future of other entertainment franchises. Hasbro will keep the entertainment development aspect of its own brands under a new banner titled Hasbro Entertainment. But, they will look towards partners (ex: Paramount Pictures) to carry out the executions.

“Hasbro Entertainment will be the new marquis for our ongoing entertainment efforts after the sale closes, under the leadership of Olivier Dumont, the current head of eOne Family Brands. Hasbro Entertainment’s mission is to develop, finance, and produce entertainment based on the rich vault of Hasbro-owned brands. We will bring to life new original ideas designed to fuel all areas of Hasbro’s blueprint including toys, publishing, gaming, licensed consumer products, and location-based entertainment.

We will retain a focused team of creative development and business affairs experts to shepherd the 30+ Hasbro-based projects in development working with the best studios and distribution platforms in Hollywood including ongoing development of the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises, Play-Doh, D&D, Magic: The Gathering and our board game portfolio.

As part of the sale, we expect to move to an asset-lite model for future live-action entertainment, relying on licensing and partnerships with select co-productions like our previously announced Transformers One animated film and the D&D live-action television series, both with our partners at Paramount.“

Regarding the quarter, Hasbro had this to say:

“Within Franchise Brands we delivered significant Q2 revenue growth in Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons driven by the uplift from the movie releases. Additionally, Peppa Pig grew as a result of growth in entertainment and digital gaming.”

Hasbro also made a good comment in connection to the financial performance of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts:

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is one of the top box office performers of the year and has driven an 83% improvement in Transformers’ point of sales since its release.”

During the Q&A Session, CEO Chris Cocks stated that Baldur’s Gate 3 video game is likely to financially outperform all of Hasbro’s entertainment efforts throughout the past 5 years.

under G.I. Joe Classified

The second book of the G.I. Joe Classified young-adult novel series is out today on physical and digital storefronts.

Titled Revenge of the Ninja, the story picks up where the first book left off.

Synopsis (from the back of the book):

“With Principal Zartan gone and the Lyre XR devices under control, everything seems safe in Springfield again. Now that the Anti-Venom Coalition has officially recruited Shana (aka Scarlett), she and the Average Joes feel readier than ever to take down Cobra for good. They even have the Arashikages—an undercover clan of ninjas—in their corner.

When the dojo is attacked and the ninjas are forced into hiding, Scarlett, Stan, and Julien are left to defend the town on their own. Not even Scarlett’s best friend, Ichi no Zoro-me, can help. With a militant principal installed at Springfield Academy, Scarlett does her best to uncover Cobra’s plans. But the deerper she digs, the more she discovers about the Arashikages’ true mission. As Scarlett begins to question the ninjas’ intentions, she finds herself faced with an impossible decision. To save the innocent people of Springfield, will she have to stand up against her found family?”

About the Author:

Kelley Skovron is the author of Hacker’s Key,The Ghost of Drowned Meadow, and the G.I. Joe Classified series for kids, as well as books for teens and adults. They live just outside Washington, DC, with a cat, a dog, and a teenager, so there’s never a dull moment. Find them online at kelleyskovron.com.

Amazon Link.

under G.I. Joe Classified

Hasbro has applied for a new toy trademark at the United States Patent & Trademark Office (a.k.a. USPTO).

However, the name itself is not new. Heavy Duty is a character well-known to the fans.

But, it is worth noting that this application is not a renewal. The previous Heavy Duty trademark (USPTO id: 87222171) is still active and is not in an expired state.

Once again, this new trademark is filed under “Toy action figures and accessories therefor”.

Usually to protect a newly registered trademark, a product (or a service) is delivered by the registrant. It is likely that we may see a possible Heavy Duty figure for the highly-popular Classified Series by Hasbro.

New Trademark Details:

  • USPTO id: 98034932
  • Goods & Services: Toy action figures and accessories therefor.
  • US Primary Class Code: 028 (Toys & Sporting Goods)

under G.I. Joe Comics

Skybound Entertainment has issued a press release announcing that G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero will return to comic book shops this November with issue #301.

“A new era for G.I. Joe begins in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #301 with this jumping on point for new readers as your favorite characters – Duke, Scarlett, Roadblock, Storm Shadow, Cobra Commander, Serpentor and more – are back for new battles, new friends, new enemies and…THE RETURN OF THE ORIGINAL SNAKE-EYES!

Each issue of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero will also feature an open-to-order variant cover with a black and white version of Kubert’s stunning main cover.

***

In November, Skybound will also release G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1 Larry Hama Cut, a special reprint of the iconic first issue featuring Larry Hama’s original, unaltered scripting in a key moment that was changed in limited instances for the final printed edition. This is your first chance EVER to discover the very first G.I. Joe comic book exactly as Hama intended.”

You can read the full press release, after the jump.

[Read more…]