TSR Files for Bankruptcy, Putting Wizards of the Coast Lawsuits on Hold

The strange saga of TSR has gotten even stranger, as the tabletop RPG publisher has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Earlier this week, TSR filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in North Carolina. Chapter 7 bankruptcy will lead to a court-appointed trustee selling certain eligible assets and then using the proceeds to re-pay any debts a company or person might have. Polygon was the first to report on the filing, and ComicBook.com has since reviewed legal documents that note that TSR had only $621.93 in gross income in 2023, while having debt exceeding $300,000. As part of the bankruptcy proceedings, the company’s ongoing lawsuits with Wizards of the Coast have automatically been placed on hold.

While TSR is the name of the now defunct company that originally published Dungeons & Dragons, this new TSR (the third company to use the name) was founded by a tattoo parlor owner named Jason LaNasa and had the backing of Ernie Gygax, the son of D&D co-creator Gary Gygax. While the company attempted to claim the logos of the original TSR and publish a new version of the classic RPG Star Frontiers, they became embroiled in multiple lawsuits with Wizards of the Coast, when they tried to claim ownership of the TSR trademarks and Wizards countersued them for trademark infringement and several other claims. Wizards notably filed an injunction against TSR to prevent the publication of Star Frontiers: New Genesis, noting that a playtest version of the RPG contained “racism and transphobia” and that its publication could damage Wizards’ reputation. LaNasa also owns the Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum, which is located a former store occupied by the original TSR in Lake Geneva. 

TSR as an entity might be finished with this bankruptcy, but it’s unclear whether this will impact the Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum. While it appears to be a separate entity than TSR (TSR’s bankruptcy lists the museum as one of its creditors), but the Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum’s Facebook page has continued to promote TSR while also commenting on TSR’s bankruptcy in recent posts.