Alfred J. Verrecchia will step down in May as chief executive officer of Hasbro to become chairman of the Pawtucket toymaker and be replaced by Brian Goldner, currently chief operating officer, the company announced yesterday...

...Verrecchia...helped complete a turnaround centered on reinvigorating its classic toys and games and adapting the company’s lineup to the increasing influence of electronics...

...The three-year effort to bring Transformers toys to the screen as building-size mechanical beings is a brand-enhancing method Hasbro plans to repeat with other toy lines as company managers look to broaden the ways in which children and adults interact with its products. Hasbro moved electronic-toy development into its Tiger product line, bought back digital gaming licenses, struck deals for mobile-phone games, sold game licenses to slot-machine makers and created a theatrical production based on one of its toy lines, Littlest Pet Shop

...Yesterday, Hasbro and Electronic Arts announced it will roll out mobile phone games based on the popular Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Risk and Yahtzee games followed by Littlest Pet Shop and Nerf games for Nintendo game consoles...Operating profit was also affected by Hasbro’s investment in its Wizards of the Coast online gaming initiative....

Full Story: Goldner to replace Verrecchia at Hasbro helm in May Source: Providence Journal, February 12th, 2008 Author: Paul Grimaldi Added on February 12th, 2008 at 9:46 am, by Judy He