Hasbro, parent company of D&D and Magic: The Gathering, has launched a new AI studio called Sixth Wall. The goal of this new venture? Licensing authorized AI versions of Hasbro’s characters to third parties. The opening cast includes The Monopoly Man, Mr Potato Head, Transformers, and Clue characters , though more characters are promised in future.
Sixth Wall Studio’s website calls the venture “a new framework that governs what characters can and cannot do in real time – so partners can build authorized, on-brand character experiences quickly and safely”. “AI is changing how fans experience characters – and how partners build with IP”, it adds. “If behavior isn’t governed in real time, you don’t truly control the character.”
Each character will apparently be voiced by real, compensated actors who opted into the scheme. Sixth Wall also says “artists help shape the boundaries of what their voice can say”, and the company promises to honor these requests. Megatron, for example, uses the voice of Frank Welker, the famed actor who voiced him in the 80s.
Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks has repeatedly praised AI and flaunted his use of it (while also assuring us that it’s not being used to create D&D products). He tells the Hollywood Reporter that Sixth Wall tackles what he considers a major issue with AI: the unauthorized use of content. He’s evidently able to put those concerns aside when AI uses other people’s content to prep his D&D games.
In the past few years, Wizards of the Coast has faced repeated scrutiny about the use of AI (or the alleged use, in some cases) in art and marketing. The launch of Sixth Wall comes not long after MTG Arena workers announced plans to unionize – citing pressure to use AI tools as one of its primary reasons.
Wargamer has asked Wizards of the Coast whether D&D and MTG will be impacted by Sixth Wall’s launch. We will update this story when we receive a reply.
Want to talk to a real person rather than a robot pretending to be Elminster? We talk about Dungeons and Dragons every day in the Wargamer Discord.
Source: Wargamer
