Before New York Comic Con officially opened its doors, Hasbro offered an early look at just how wide its definition of play has become.
At the company’s Press & Creator Showcase in New York City on October 7, the room moved far beyond the image of Hasbro as simply a toy company. Action figures shared space with tabletop games, video games, lifestyle products, collector pieces, and collaborations tied to some of the biggest franchises in entertainment.
Walking through the showcase felt less like moving from one product table to another and more like moving between fandoms.
There was Star Wars on one side of the room, Marvel Legends on another, a glowing Exodus gaming setup nearby, and displays for G.I. Joe, Transformers, Street Fighter, The Legend of Zelda, KPop Demon Hunters, Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and more throughout the space.
That variety ended up being the real story.
Hasbro is not asking fans to engage with its brands in one specific way anymore. Some people want a figure on the shelf. Others want to sit around a table with friends, disappear into a video game for hours, collect cards, or find something that connects a favorite franchise to another part of their life.
The showcase gave all of those people something to stop for.
Star Wars and Marvel Still Know How to Command a Room
The Star Wars area immediately showed how much history Hasbro has to work with. Figures and collectibles stretched across multiple displays, with products drawing from different corners of the franchise rather than focusing on one era.
One of the most eye-catching setups belonged to Star Wars Ultimate Grogu, which turned the character into its own presentation surrounded by woodland scenery. Nearby displays leaned more heavily into traditional Star Wars collecting, giving fans a look at figures and packaged products built for the people who still enjoy hunting down specific characters for a shelf.
Marvel had a similarly broad presence through Marvel Legends. The display was packed with characters, accessories, oversized pieces, and figures that ranged across different corners of the Marvel universe.
For longtime collectors, Marvel Legends continues to work because there is always another character, costume, or era to pull from. The showcase reflected that depth rather than centering everything around whichever Marvel project happens to be newest.
Transformers and G.I. Joe Keep Legacy Brands Moving Forward
Some of the most recognizable Hasbro DNA in the room came from Transformers and G.I. Joe.
The Transformers area gave collectors a look at figures across multiple scales and interpretations, including products tied to Transformers: The Movie and other lines. The larger character displays helped show just how different the brand can look depending on whether the goal is nostalgia, screen accuracy, transformation engineering, or pure shelf presence.
G.I. Joe had a cleaner but equally recognizable setup, with figures and vehicles displayed against the familiar military-inspired branding. Hasbro’s NYCC announcements include the G.I. Joe Classified Series #232 Dreadnok Flatline, continuing a line that has become one of the company’s strongest examples of updating a legacy property without abandoning what longtime fans liked about it.
That balance between nostalgia and reinvention was present throughout the showcase. Hasbro understands that many of these brands are now generational. The person buying a Transformer today may be buying it for a child, themselves, or both.
Street Fighter Looks Right at Home With Hasbro
The Street Fighter display was one of the easiest places to linger.
Hasbro showcased several six-inch figures, including Guile, M. Bison, Dark Ryu, and a Deluxe Blanka, alongside the smaller Mystery Warriors assortment.
Seeing the characters together reinforced why Street Fighter translates so naturally into collectibles. The franchise has always been built around strong silhouettes, exaggerated personalities, recognizable costumes, and a roster where almost every character looks completely different from the person standing next to them.
There is also good timing behind the collaboration. Street Fighter is entering another major live-action moment, making the figures part of a broader resurgence around a franchise that has continued to move between gaming, fashion, film, and collectibles.
Zelda and KPop Demon Hunters Show How Far the Portfolio Reaches
Two displays that immediately demonstrated Hasbro’s expanding partnership strategy were The Legend of Zelda and KPop Demon Hunters.
The Zelda setup centered figures of Link, Princess Zelda, and Ganondorf, but the oversized sword presentation beside them helped give the area more presence than a standard figure display.
Across the room, KPop Demon Hunters offered a completely different visual energy. A large weapon display and character product immediately connected the Netflix phenomenon to physical collectibles.
Putting those brands in the same showcase says a lot about where fandom is in 2026. Gaming, animation, streaming, music culture, movies, and toys no longer exist in cleanly separated categories. Audiences move between all of them, and Hasbro increasingly appears interested in moving with them.
Magic: The Gathering Meets Star Trek
One of the clearest examples of fandom crossover came from Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek.
The showcase included the upcoming Welcome Decks spread across a table alongside cards representing Magic’s different colors, giving the collaboration a tangible presence beyond promotional art.
The partnership continues at NYCC, where fans can visit a U.S.S. Enterprise-inspired activation, discover which Magic color matches their play style and command style, pick up a Welcome Deck while supplies last, and step inside a transporter photo opportunity.
That combination is a good example of how Hasbro is increasingly treating fandom as something participatory. You are not simply being shown a product. The goal is to give you a reason to interact with the world around it.
Dungeons & Dragons Keeps Expanding Its Borders
The Dungeons & Dragons side of the showcase was especially interesting because it demonstrated how flexible that universe has become.
A prominent Dungeons & Dragons x World of Warcraft display brought two fantasy institutions together around tabletop play, while Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons represented the brand’s continued expansion into digital gaming.
At the showcase, Warlock was presented through a hands-off demonstration, offering an early look at another way Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast are translating the D&D experience beyond the tabletop.
That does not mean the table is being abandoned. NYCC attendees can also take part in Dungeons & Dragons demos and longer Learn to Play sessions throughout the convention, including a large Adventurer’s League experience set across Waterdeep.
Hasbro seems increasingly comfortable letting D&D exist in multiple forms at once.
Exodus Was One of the Showcase’s Most Immersive Stops
The Exodus area stood apart because it was designed around actually sitting down and entering the game.
Blue lighting, a large display, game footage, and companion materials created one of the more immersive corners of the showcase. Unlike many of the products elsewhere in the room, Exodus was not something to simply examine through packaging.
It was something to play.
That hands-on component was important because it showed Hasbro’s ambitions extending beyond the physical products most people immediately associate with the company.
The future of play in this room included a controller just as naturally as it included dice or an action figure.
Blooms by Play-Doh Was the Unexpected Change of Pace
Then there was Blooms by Play-Doh.
Its green-lit garden presentation looked completely different from nearly everything surrounding it, with oversized flowers framing smaller floral creations and packaged products.
That contrast was useful.
After moving through superheroes, space fantasy, military figures, fighting games, and fantasy worlds, Blooms served as a reminder that Hasbro’s idea of play extends beyond traditional fandom collecting.
The larger holiday gift display nearby reinforced that range, mixing brands such as Transformers, Nerf, Play-Doh, Peppa Pig, Beyblade, Monopoly, and other Hasbro staples on the same table.
There really was something for almost every kind of player.
Hasbro’s Biggest Product May Be the Connection Between Fandoms
The more interesting takeaway from the showcase was not any one action figure or collaboration.
It was the ecosystem.
A person could walk into the same room because they care about Star Wars and end up stopping at Magic: The Gathering. Someone coming for Street Fighter could discover a new G.I. Joe figure. A tabletop player could sit down with Exodus, while a gaming fan might find their way toward Dungeons & Dragons.
That crossover is increasingly how modern fandom works.
Hasbro President of Toys & Board Games Billy Lagor described fans as experiencing their favorite franchises in different ways, whether that means storytelling around a table, tracking down a collectible, or introducing a beloved character to another generation.
The Press & Creator Showcase made that philosophy easy to see in practice.
Hasbro did not present one definition of what playing with these worlds is supposed to look like.
It presented a room full of options.
With New York Comic Con bringing many of those same franchises into panels, demos, collectibles, and interactive experiences throughout the weekend, the showcase felt less like a standalone preview and more like the opening move of Hasbro’s NYCC 2026 presence.
And judging by how often there was another familiar logo waiting around the corner, there is a lot to play with.
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I’m a dedicated aficionado of all things movies, pop culture, and entertainment. With a passion for storytelling and a love for the silver screen, I’m constantly immersed in the world of cinema, exploring new releases, classics, and hidden gems alike. As a fervent advocate for the power of film to inspire, entertain, and provoke thought, I enjoy sharing my insights, reviews, and recommendations with fellow enthusiasts.