With BotCon having sailed off into the Cybertronian sunset earlier this year and JoeCon on life support (the 2017 JoeCon was revived last minute via an online petition to Hasbro), many fans have been wondering what Hasbro’s plans were for replacing these very popular fan conventions. That answer came on Tuesday with the announcement of Hascon 2017!
To be held at the Dunkin Donut Center (mmmm, donuts) in Providence, RI (around the corner from Hasbro HQ), Hascon will bring all of its fandoms together for the first time. And considering how many properties Hasbro currently has licensed, that’s a considerable amount of people. Transformers, G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Monopoly (no, really)—if Hasbro makes it, you’ll see it here.
The official word from Hasbro is that this will be a family-friendly convention that will feature product and media reveals, as well as the opportunity to meet celebrity talent associated with various Hasbro shows. But what about con exclusives? One of the best parts of the previous cons were the crazy toys that made their way into production. From updated versions of “unpopular” past toys all the way to revived, unfinished prototypes, JoeCon and BotCon weren’t hampered by having to create toys that had mass appeal—these were niche items meant for dedicated fans. That’s not to say that Hasbro’s official convention exclusives aren’t freaking amazing. They are. But I really hope some of that impractical fan craziness creeps in to the convention merch.
And it won’t just be toys that are featured at the convention! Hasbro Gaming fans will be able to participate in competitions throughout the weekend. I’d start figuring out now how many Magic: The Gathering minis you can fit in your suitcase—you’ll want to have your armies ready!
Hascon will run September 8-10 and you can sign up to get updates at the Hascon official website.
