Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast kicked off Gen Con 2026 with a bang heard across the multiverse, unveiling their crossover-themed “Universes Beyond” initiative for Dungeons & Dragons at the convention’s keynote presentation.
The first of these confirmed crossovers, Dungeons & Dragons: World of Warcraft, is a sprawling expansion book that will bring the world of Azeroth into the D&D universe, complete with an adventure module themed around Warcraft‘s iconic Lich King. The second, teased at the tail end of the presentation, is a Star Wars-themed expansion set to launch sometime next year.
As a longtime D&D fan, I’m firmly of two minds about this announcement. The idea of playing a campaign set in Azeroth or a galaxy far, far away pumps an unhealthy amount of dopamine into my brain. However, I’ve seen where Hasbro’s interest in incorporating third-party intellectual properties into their own can lead, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit concerned about what it could mean for D&D.
If the “Universes Beyond” branding sounds familiar, it’s because D&D is adopting it whole-cloth from Magic: The Gathering. Magic’s own Universes Beyond initiative has been running since 2021, pumping out entire decks themed around Avatar: The Last Airbender, Final Fantasy, and even SpongeBob SquarePants.
From a financial standpoint, Universes Beyond is one of the best things to ever happen to Magic. Annual revenue has skyrocketed over the last five years, reaching an all-time high of $1.72 billion in 2025. This spike in revenue corresponds perfectly with the game’s recent focus on crossover sets, which regularly rake in hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.
Magic‘s fanbase isn’t as enthusiastic about the crossovers as Hasbro’s investors are. Few deny that it’s cool to own and play Magic cards based on their favorite franchises, but most agree this focus on third-party IPs has come at the expense of the game’s own fiction.
For most of the game’s history, Magic cards were based around a shared multiverse created by Wizards. Expanded upon through card lore, books, comics, short stories, and other supplementary material, it is full of rich and diverse settings, connected through epic storylines driven along by a cast of beloved characters like Elspeth Tirial, Jace Beleren, and Ajani Goldmane.
Since Universes Beyond launched, Magic‘s established cast and settings have faded into the background, and this neglect has become a point of frustration for longtime fans.
D&D also has a massive expanded universe of original settings and characters that fans have had decades to get attached to. Luckily, it seems like its most beloved settings are safe for now. D&D Icons was also announced at the keynote—an initiative bringing back many old-school D&D campaign settings, including Ravenloft, Greyhawk, and even the incredibly dark and controversial Dark Sun.
Even if D&D does follow in Magic‘s footsteps, it’s not like it hasn’t done crossovers before. There’s already official D&D expansions based on Rick and Morty and Stranger Things. Hopefully, the response from irate Magic fans will convince them to treat this universe with the respect it deserves.
