Romantasy has already taken over TikTok, bookstores, and Kindles far and wide. Next, it’s conquering board games. Hasbro announced that it’s struck a “multi-program” deal with Rebecca Yarros and Entangled Publishing, the author and publisher of the hit romantasy novel Fourth Wing.
As the first installment of this collaboration, Hasbro is releasing a board game version of the Fourth Wing universe called Priorities. The game is now available for preorder at Amazon, Target, and Barnes & Noble, and will go on sale at most major retailers starting on October 1.
In recent years, the romantasy (romance-slash-fantasy) genre has taken off through online communities like BookTok and Bookstagram, where the discourse around popular series like Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses and Lauren Roberts’ Powerless has felt almost unavoidable. Few works have attracted as much attention as Yarros’ Fourth Wing (the first book in her Empyrean series), which soundly proved that romantasy is not just a subculture, but a commercially viable treasure trove of IP.
‘Fourth Wing’ conquers the board game
Within a week of its release last January, Onyx Storm—the latest installment of the Empyrean series—had sold 2.7 million copies, and Yarros occupied the first three spots of the New York Times bestseller list. Since then, the series has snagged a show deal with Amazon MGM Studios, and, now, its own dedicated board game.
As one of America’s largest game and toy companies, Hasbro is picky about the IP it chooses to adapt. Historically, the company has worked with influential brands like Marvel, Star Wars, Transformers, and Nintendo for its licensed product launches. According to Ally Simpson, senior manager at Hasbro Games, Fourth Wing’s intensely dedicated fanbase, commercial success, and bestseller list placements made it a “no-brainer” for Hasbro. This is the company’s first-ever foray into the romantasy genre.
“When Hasbro considers a property for a game, we look at a wide array of factors—from cultural impact, the fanbase and passion, and potential for an engaging and authentic gameplay experience,” Simpson says. “We analyze sales data, social engagement, and overall buzz to gauge the long-term impact of the brand as well. Fourth Wing has it all.”
Hasbro taps romantasy for fresh IP
According to a press release, Yarros herself was involved “in every stage” of the Priorities game development. The game, which involves ranking characters and features from the Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm books, is designed specifically to tap into the rise of book clubs among young readers (per the ticketing platform Eventbrite, book club event listings grew 24% in the United States in 2023 from the previous year).
Simpson says that Hasbro’s development team worked at unprecedented speed to build the game in “only a few weeks,” so that it could be delivered to fans while the hype is still fresh.
Hasbro declined to share further details on what the rest of its collaboration with Yarros will entail. However, Simpson says, the company is actively looking into romantasy as an area of possible future expansion.
“We’re always monitoring trends in entertainment and looking for opportunities to create games that resonate with a wide audience,” Simpson says. “The rise of romantasy is something we’ve been watching closely, and we believe it has a lot of potential for future game adaptations. As a passionate romantasy fan myself, I can attest to the fact that there is endless opportunity in this space for readers and gamers alike.”
