IDW to lose Hasbro license

[Toph]

Huuuuuge grain of salt, but not unbelievable given current trends from Hasbro:
news.tfw2005.com/2021/11/29/rumor-idw-to-lose-transformers-license-in-2022-445782

“Over the weekend at San Diego Comic-Con 2021: Special Edition, there was plenty to talk about the state of the comic book industry as it stands, as well as the many moves that have been happening of late and will be happening in the very near future. And as big publishers chose not to attend the show, it meant that there was much less management of the information that flowed. One such nugget was the news that IDW Publishing, based just up the road in San Diego, is to lose their licence to produce comic books based on the Transformers franchise from Hasbro.

Back in August, Bleeding Cool broke the news on IDW losing the Marvel Action kids line of titles, which IDW then confirmed, and the Star Wars All-Ages line – which IDW did not reply to, but that Dark Horse Comics claimed last month.

IDW did not respond to inquiries made earlier today, on this, or a number of related stories. If true, there is also no date as to when this may occur but on current form, I would expect in the summer of 2022.”

If true, this reads to me like a control thing, given how much control Hasbro tried to exert over the story, multiple times, how they were treating FP the few years before they took the license back from them, and how they've been buying/creating their own entertainment studios and taking back/canceling licenses in recent years to produce things "in house."

Given hasbro keeps coming up with little headcanons for Generations toys but IDW has largely ignored in lue of writing real stories, I think that might have a lot to do with it.
If true.

[The Doctor]

The article is not sourced so I am inclined to ignore it for now.

-Ralph

[browny87]

it seems a bit odd that IDW or HAsbro would not want to keep the relationship going, they have kinda needed each other throughout for a range of comics/lines

[Philip Ayres]

I wouldn't say that's 100% true: Hasbro haven't needed IDW.

I get the feeling that the most recent relaunch hasn't 100% pleased the fans or Hasbro and ultimately it's Hasbro's property and if the licensee hasn't done quite what they want. It's not really had the impact of the MTMTE years either.

We've known from elsewhere that things aren't 100% at IDW for sometime, which may have had some effect. tmukhub.proboards.com/post/330612/thread and subsequent posts

The story at Bleedingcool is from Rich Johnston, who I'd back for his industry news. While it may have mutated on it's way to him I very much suspect there's SOMETHING in it.

For a long time I've felt that I would not be surprised if at some point various Disney/Marvel/Hasbro business interests aligned to put the Hasbro comic licenses at Marvel, I'm wondering if this could be it

[Toph]

I've heard that hasbro is very pleased with Boom! Comics handling of Power Rangers.

So that makes me wonder if we won't be hearing in the coming months that Hasbro bought Boom!.

[Bogatan]

The last time they made this kind of move (if they are) it was dumping FP to make Hascon.

If they plan to dump IDW then yeah bringing in house with the purchase of a comic publisher would be in line with that.

Could see some kind of deal with Marvel too, except I cant see how it would benefit Hasbro, no way Transformers get the attention needed at one of the big two.

[Toph]

FP is also a sign. We know how much control they were exerting over FP in the last few years.
We also know Hasbro made several attempts to exert similar control over IDW, resulting in some catastrophically bad story arcs (forcing "new" generation toy designs into Dark Cybertron, the Combiner Wars and Titans Returns story arcs, the "Combined Hasbro Universe" bs), while IDW tried to just tell good stories and ignored Hasbro's headcanons whenever they could.

I can't imagine Hasbro has been too happy that IDWs Reboot largely ignored their preferred "WfC" story in favor of doing their own thing.

[Andy Turnbull]

Nov 30, 2021 20:31:06 GMT Toph said:

I can't imagine Hasbro has been too happy that IDWs Reboot largely ignored their preferred "WfC" story in favor of doing their own thing.

Not ignored, instructed to leave well alone. The comics are at best secondary media, but if there's a whole new netflix show that's going to get more eyeballs than any comic ever will, then they are relegated to tertiary status.

[Andy Turnbull]

I can see it happening, I can also see the license being renewed.

Marvel might get it if they want it, but it's a question of why. DC won't touch it as they are needing to show profit as much as possible so paying a license fee is no-no. None of the studios under Image would really go for it, Top Cow might have done 10 or 15 years ago. Boom is an option, but I could actually see it at Dark Horse.

[Jaymz]

Nov 30, 2021 16:04:37 GMT Toph said:

So that makes me wonder if we won't be hearing in the coming months that Hasbro bought Boom!.

Highly unlikely, Disney own Boom.

I also doubt Hasbro would be taking the license back, more likely IDW don't renew due to the cost versus profit.

Would be interesting if Marvel picked it up [Epic collections?], but they've turned it down in the past. I think Conan is the only licensed property they currently have outside of Disney owned franchises.

[Philip Ayres]

Aliens/Predator?

People periodically ask for TF Epics but I was thinking about what might happen if other things came with Transformers, Rom & Micronauts for example.

[Andy Turnbull]

Nov 30, 2021 22:31:48 GMT Philip Ayres said:

Aliens/Predator?

Both owned by Disney.

[Toph]

Flirting too closely with Disney is dangerous at best.
Hasbro *wants* to be the next Disney, and they're damn close to it. They're trying to set themselves up as a multi-media empire, and are the biggest juggernaut in the toy isle.

They've acquired just about every major toy license they can except DC (and probably their contract with Disney for Marvel prevents that). They're even playing ball with Playmates and have dipped into TMNT.
They are the only toy company strong enough to resist Disney if Disney tried to stage a takeover.

But even still. Working too closely with Disney is dangerous. The more licenses they consolidate in Hasbro (and atm, all three major ones are there. Marvel, Star Wars, Princesses), the stronger their connection is. When Hasbro starts granting Disney their own licenses, then that gives Disney even more power, and Disney will consume Hasbro without hesitation if they think they can do it.

Disney getting control of the Hasbro own properties is the worst outcome I can think of.

I personally would rather Transformers end altogether before see it owned by Disney.

[Andy Turnbull]

Nov 30, 2021 22:31:48 GMT Philip Ayres said:

People periodically ask for TF Epics but I was thinking about what might happen if other things came with Transformers, Rom & Micronauts for example.

Wouldn't come with Transformers, would have to be paid for in their own right.

[Toph]

Well, Joe's status is also in the rumor mill along with TF.

I can't see Hasbro leaving the others whille only taking back the big two.
But more realistically, I can't see IDW renewing them without TF/Joe.
They didn't seem particularly interested in doing Rom, Micronauts, or MASK to begin with, as they've done very little with them without Joe or TF.

And Hasbro does seem to want a "Shared Hasbro Universe" (though they've not really talked much about that recently, so maybe tey gave up?). So, it is a logical assumption that where goes TF and Joe, so too goes the rest.

[Jim]

Nov 30, 2021 22:31:48 GMT Philip Ayres said:

Aliens/Predator?

People periodically ask for TF Epics but I was thinking about what might happen if other things came with Transformers, Rom & Micronauts for example.

Don’t think TF epics would do much for me, but nice oversized omnibuses would be tempting. Especially if they do a couple of UK ones, as they have with some of their own properties.

GI Joe epics I’d buy in a heartbeat.

[Andy Turnbull]

If Hasbro were that mad keen on a shared universe it would have started it when TF relaunched and built it from the ground up.

There is a licensing fee for each property, if you don't pay it you don't get them and given how poorly the books performed Hasbro would have a tough time making a publisher take on any property they didn't want as as condition for the TF license.

Hasbro will be happy enough if multiple publishers have different properies as long as that fee is paid. They were happy when Joe was with Devil's Due and TF at Dreamwave and Devil's Due pitched for TF and got the knockback.

IDW were massively interested in doing ROM it was EIC/Publisher Chris Ryall's dream project.

As for doing anything with them, I'd be inclined to say those were shorter-term license deals and as such have probably lapsed by now in terms of creating new content and given the performance of them IDW wouldn't have bothered looking to renew.

[Llama God]

I would say I'd be surprised if Hasbro were going to take the licence back from IDW, since they've just done the whole Shattered Glass joint venture. But on the other hand, given what's been discussed above, maybe that was IDW's last chance to do what Hasbro wanted. Or maybe it was just a joint experiment to see if a closely-aligned toy/comic line would be profitable for either company, and the results haven't been as expected. Who knows..?

[primenova]

Panini comics could if Signature loose it in the UK (which could explain the last issue of Cybverse but seems RBA is still going), but no way Marvel US would take the comic. Looking at Dec2021 Marvel US comics - it's only Marvel owned or Starwars stuff then Conan (owned by?). & Warhammer.

I do think another company would get it but would they continue the 2019 storyine?

[Llama God]

Unlikely. Which might explain the recently-announced "War's End" series. Which to me lends some credence to the rumour, if Ruckley's having to tie up his storyline before they lose the licence. Maybe.

[Benn]

Unless it's the other way round, and having announced a 'Wars End' series that has started rumours that they're about to lose the licence?

[Andy Turnbull]

Thing is they won't necessarily lose the license, it's not theirs to lose. They have a contract for a certain term, which they might decide not to pursue a further term beyond it's expiry, or Hasbro may go for someone else if someone else is pitching for the license and they like what they see.

Boom and IDW are much of a muchness really and would draw from a similar talent pool ultimately unless a "name" really wanted do TF and was willing to do it on the cheap.

If Marvel decided to pitch they would get the license hands down.

DC unlikely given their current position.

Dark Horse have the He-Man license for Revelations and all the various books,so not as odd a shout as it might have been once upon a time and TF is a decent brand and plugs a hole given how many licenses which they previously had.

[Philip Ayres]

IDW loose Transformers & GI Joe at the end of 2022

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/idw-losing-g-i-joe-transformers-license-1235078466/

[Toph]

I can't say I'm terribly plussed by it. I haven't really enjoyed much of what they've done since they had the brilliant idea of derailing everything via Shane McCarthy.

But while I haven't overly enjoyed it, it hasn't been overly awful, either, and I admit what's to come could very well be worse (especially if I'm right and this is all because hasbro wants to micromanage things).

But here's hoping we get something better.

[The Doctor]

If they have the licence until the end of the year they presumably haven't 'lost it'. Rather, a decision has been made not to have it renewed at the end of the currently contracted term. These are two different things.

At least they have a full year to wind things up.

-Ralph

[Toph]

That's only true if it was IDW's decision to not renew, which I can't see as it's TF that made this company.
If it was hasbro's decision, then IDW very much lost it.

[browny87]

im just nervous about it all, some of the current run has been a bit slow and uneventful but the Roberts esque run revitalized what we love about it and made it mainstream again, im worried HAsbro will bodge it again!

[primenova]

It says the comics end in summer with just one shots after it for the last 4 months

[Pinwig]

Man. Didn't we just hear recently that IDW were going to finally do a cartoon season 2.5 title? I'm gagging for that.

[Benn]

Did we?