Elon Musk stirs Dungeons & Dragons debate, suggests potential purchase of Hasbro to revive game’s legacy

The gaming world has been buzzing over the past week as Elon Musk’s remarks regarding Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) sparked widespread speculation. This conversation was ignited by Musk’s outspoken criticisms of how the current owners of D&D, Wizards of the Coast (WoTC), are treating the game’s iconic creator, Gary Gygax. Musk’s comments, which included a hint at purchasing Hasbro—the parent company of WoTC—have caused many to question his next moves in the gaming industry.

Musk’s criticism of the gaming industry

Musk has become increasingly vocal about the gaming industry, especially on his platform X (formerly Twitter). On November 27, Musk responded to a post criticizing “manipulative bs” in the gaming world, where he expressed his frustrations with large corporate ownership of game studios. In a quoted post, he remarked, “Too many game studios that are owned by massive corporations,” adding, “xAI is going to start an AI game studio to make games great again!”

While this announcement indicated his plans to create a new AI-driven game studio, Musk also seemed to suggest a deeper involvement with Dungeons & Dragons, a beloved franchise now under the ownership of Hasbro, which has sparked debate recently due to the treatment of Gygax's legacy.

Controversy over D&D and Gygax’s legacy

The controversy surrounding D&D came to a head when Jason Tondro, the product lead for D&D at WoTC, made remarks in the foreword of the 40th Anniversary book "Making of D&D," reportedly distancing himself from the game’s original creators, including Gygax. This prompted an uproar from Musk, who criticized the diminishing recognition of Gygax’s contributions to the game.

Musk expressed his outrage, stating, “Nobody, and I mean nobody, gets to trash E. Gary Gygax and the geniuses who created Dungeons & Dragons. What the f*** is wrong with Hasbro and WoTC?? May they burn in hell.”

Musk’s potential acquisition of Hasbro

The controversy surrounding the treatment of Gygax's legacy took a new turn when, just a week after his strong comments about WoTC, Musk made an intriguing tweet in response to Tondro’s reaction to the backlash. Musk posted, “How much is Hasbro?”—sparking further speculation about the possibility of Musk purchasing Hasbro.