Hasbro Launches AI Studio to License Characters
The company is transitioning its 166-year IP archive into an AI licensing business for external digital platforms.
Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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In June 2026, Hasbro launched its Sixth Wall AI studio to license synthetic versions of its long-standing intellectual property. The company is now building a business model to integrate these AI-generated characters into external platforms.
Why it matters
Hasbro is leveraging its 166-year archive of intellectual property to monetize brand presence through automated, platform-agnostic partnerships. This strategy shifts the company from traditional content creation toward acting as a creative agent for AI-driven character experiences.
Hasbro utilizes its 166-year library of intellectual property as a foundational training and character dataset. The system architecture functions as a split-model, where Hasbro provides creative direction and IP assets while a third-party platform provides the expression layer.
The players
Hasbro
A multinational toy and entertainment company with a 166-year history that is now pivoting to license synthetic character IP.
Sixth Wall
The dedicated AI studio unit launched by Hasbro to manage the creative direction and licensing of AI-generated character models.
Don Rickles
The late comedian whose historical voice recordings are being used to train an AI model for the Mr. Potato Head character.
LeVar Burton
The actor and narrator whose voice is currently the subject of licensing negotiations for use in an AI-driven Trivial Pursuit show.
The details
Sixth Wall operates as both talent agent and creative director for licensed characters, ensuring all output adheres to specific content guardrails. For instance, the company is developing a voice model for Mr. Potato Head based on archival recordings from the estate of Don Rickles. Additionally, the studio maintains an AI-powered Megatron deejay at its Rhode Island headquarters, demonstrating how the firm adapts legacy character traits into interactive formats.
Timeline
June 2026: Hasbro launched the Sixth Wall AI studio.
October 2026: Hasbro announced its formal AI licensing business model.
The Tech Race
Hasbro's move into synthetic character licensing marks a departure from traditional toy manufacturing toward a platform-agnostic IP strategy. The Megatron project at headquarters serves as a proof-of-concept for the broader licensing efforts currently underway.
Readers may encounter Hasbro's AI-generated characters through non-traditional channels, such as a potential Trivial Pursuit quiz show integrated into cellphone carrier customer-service hold menus. These interactive characters, including the AI-voiced Mr. Potato Head, represent the company's first steps into platform-specific digital services.
The takeaway
Hasbro is betting that its 166-year brand archive can be successfully decoupled from physical products and licensed as a service to third-party platforms. Watch for the official launch of the Trivial Pursuit AI show to confirm the consumer appetite for branded synthetic voices in customer-service environments.
Further reading
For more on the development of synthetic media, visit our Artificial Intelligence section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Semafor.
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