Hasbro and 3D Systems (the same company that acquired Gentle Giant in January) have announced a partnership to co-develop and commercialize 3D printers in order to deliver new immersive, creative play experiences for children. Depending on how this joint venture is executed, it looks like we may have an actual avenue in producing toys we want. Next stop, replicators a la Star Trek?

Read on for the full press release.

3D Systems and Hasbro Agree to Co-Venture and Mainstream 3D Printing Play Experiences for Children

—  Companies plan to exclusively co-develop and commercialize innovative play printers and platforms later this year

—  Alliance leverages entirety of Hasbro’s world-renowned brands and retail presence with 3DS’s powerful 3D printing portfolio to redefine play

ROCK HILL, S.C. and PAWTUCKET, R.I., Feb. 14, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) and global branded play company, Hasbro, Inc.(Nasdaq:HAS) today announced their intent to co-develop, co-venture and deliver new immersive, creative play experiences powered by 3D printing for children and their families later this year. This partnership combines Hasbro’s world-renowned portfolio of consumer brands, extensive play expertise and retail reach with 3DS’ powerful portfolio of 3D printing products, platforms and perceptual devices to mainstream new and innovative play and co-creation experiences at home and online.

“We believe 3D printing offers endless potential to bring incredible new play experiences for kids and we’re excited to work with 3D Systems, a recognized industry leader in this space,” said Hasbro President & CEO Brian Goldner.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Hasbro, a premier, global, branded play company, to jointly define, shape and lead the entire digital play space, powered by 3D printing,” said Avi Reichental, President and CEO, 3DS.

Learn more about 3D Systems’ commitment to manufacturing the future today at www.3dsystems.com and experience the 3D printed lifestyle for children and adults alike at www.cubify.com.

About Hasbro

Hasbro, Inc. (Nasdaq:HAS) is a branded play company dedicated to fulfilling the fundamental need for play for children and families through the creative expression of the Company’s world class brand portfolio, including TRANSFORMERS, MONOPOLY, PLAY-DOH, MY LITTLE PONY, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF and LITTLEST PET SHOP. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative play and entertainment experiences, in a variety of forms and formats, anytime and anywhere. The Company’sHasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for more than 180 markets around the world, and for the U.S. on Hub Network, part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications. Through the Company’s deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s “100 Best Corporate Citizens.”

Learn more at www.hasbro.com.

About 3D Systems Corporation

3D Systems is a leading provider of 3D printing centric design-to-manufacturing solutions including 3D printers, print materials and cloud sourced on-demand custom parts for professionals and consumers alike in materials including plastics, metals, ceramics and edibles. The company also provides integrated 3D scan-based design, freeform modeling and inspection tools. Its products and services replace and complement traditional methods and reduce the time and cost of designing new products by printing real parts directly from digital input. These solutions are used to rapidly design, create, communicate, prototype or produce real parts, empowering customers to manufacture the future.

Leadership Through Innovation and Technology

• 3DS invented 3D printing with its Stereolithography (SLA) printer and was the first to commercialize it in 1989.
• 3DS invented Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) printing and was the first to commercialize it in 1992.
• 3DS invented the Color-Jet-Printing (CJP) class of 3D printers and was the first to commercialize 3D powder-based systems in 1994.
• 3DS invented Multi-Jet-Printing (MJP) printers and was the first to commercialize it in 1996.

Today its comprehensive range of 3D printers is the industry’s benchmark for production-grade manufacturing in aerospace, automotive, patient specific medical device and a variety of consumer, electronic and fashion accessories.

More information on the company is available at www.3DSystems.com.