ICv2 Reports Disappointing Year For Hobby Games Channel: TTRPGs Down, D&D Declines 30%

According to ICv2, 2023 was a tough year for hobby game sales. The US and Canada market increased by just 1%, which was less than the rate of inflation, growing from $2.86 billion in 2022 to $2.89 billion in 2023.

The hobby game sales channel is defined as specialist game and card stores--it doesn't include Amazon, direct sales, etc. It does include Kickstarter.

Top Hobby Channel TTRPGs (2023)

1. Dungeons & Dragons (WotC)
2. Pathfinder (Paizo)
3. Cyberpunk Red (R. Talsorian)
4. World of Darkness (Renegade Game Studios)
5. Starfinder (Paizo)
6. Warhammer 40K (Cubicle 7)
7. Marvel Multiverse Roleplaying (Marvel)
8. Kobold 5E Books (Kobold Press)
9. Call of Cthulhu (Chaosium)
10. Pirate Borg (Free League)

The only two categories to grow in 2023 were collectibles and miniatures. All other categories--board games, card games, and roleplaying games--were down. ICv2 reports a 30% hobby store sales decline for Dungeons & Dragons specifically, citing the impending new edition and lackluster movie performance, and the tail end of a pandemic-fuelled high; they also report that while the OGL crisis of last year impacted some lifestyle gamers, newer players as a whole were oblivious to the situation. The other important element ICv2 mentioned was D&D's increasing move to digital, which impacted retail sales.

Older D&D players, says ICv2, are also migrating to other games, with Pathfinder as one of the major beneficiaries.

The last 6 years has seen much larger growth rates--partly fuelled by the pandemic--ranging from 10% to 30%. 2022 saw a 7% growth over 2021. Despite the small increase, 2023 represents the 15th year of growth for the overall market. ICv2 does predict a market decline in 2024, though.

ICv2 conducts periodical surveys and speaks to publishers, distributors, and retailers, along with publicly available company information and Kickstarter data.

 

[Queer Venger]

I'm almost 50 and more or less gave up on RPGs in 2021, but this year mostly started picking it up again and moving towards games with less focus on character builds that are very recognizably D&D. The problem is mostly getting games together. I like Shadowdark, Dungeon Crawl Classics, and OSE.

getting games together is always the challenge, I happen to manage to get a group of 6-7 players in my area (LA) once a month, and that is work. I may be hitting my FLGS to start running a DCC game and also our local middle school and see about getting a D&D after school program at some point

 

[Jd Smith1]

getting games together is always the challenge, I happen to manage to get a group of 6-7 players in my area (LA) once a month, and that is work. I may be hitting my FLGS to start running a DCC game and also our local middle school and see about getting a D&D after school program at some point

Online gaming is the answer. Endless supply of good players.

 

[Dire Bare]

Out of curiosity, why do think of MSRP as a ceiling? Do you think the manufacturer understands the needs of every retail outlet when they make that suggestion? Do you not think that a store understands its own financial needs?

Please.

A retail store certainly has the right to charge whatever they want for products. MSRP, above or below. The "S" in MSRP is "suggested" after all.

But I think any retail store manager who regularly charges above MSRP for products is asking for their business to fail. Personally, I find it unethical at worst, short-sighted and foolish at best. Unless a product is rare and hard-to-find, there is no justification to overcharge for it. Other than greed and/or poor retail management.

And as a customer . . . if a product is readily available at a discount online and your store is charging above MSRP . . . there should be some VERY compelling reasons for me to purchase the product at your store. And just pleas to "support your local FLGS" are not enough.

 

[Scribe]

Please.

A retail store certainly has the right to charge whatever they want for products. MSRP, above or below. The "S" in MSRP is "suggested" after all.

But I think any retail store manager who regularly charges above MSRP for products is asking for their business to fail. Personally, I find it unethical at worst, short-sighted and foolish at best. Unless a product is rare and hard-to-find, there is no justification to overcharge for it. Other than greed and/or poor retail management.

And as a customer . . . if a product is readily available at a discount online and your store is charging above MSRP . . . there should be some VERY compelling reasons for me to purchase the product at your store. And just pleas to "support your local FLGS" are not enough.

Yes, I shop local, support my FLGS as much as I can, order through them, whatever.

If I had to pay MORE than retail? Zero chance. That's just not how this works, especially now.

 

[aramis erak]

I've set aside over $200 for books that my FLGS just can't seem to get from their distributor...

If they can't get it them, I'll have to order direct from the publisher.

The distribution system's got flaws, some of which are due to the changing ecology of sales online vs offline, of pandemic lockdowns and free movement...

But that isn't how the Magic fanbase works: the majority of customers are kids, WotC makes their money by getting new middle schoolers and high schoolers to pick up Magic. The enfranchised players, the people who have been playing for longer than a few years, are a small part of the Magic pie.

Most of the people I'm seeing playing at the stores and buying at the stores are college students... but that's largely due to being a college town, with the 61k townies numbering about the same as the major university's 60k, and about 5k at the community college.

Kinda makes sense that less people would buy books and game supplements when it is known that a new set of core rulebooks are on the horizon.

And then that, yeah...

"Older D&D players, says ICv2, are also migrating to other games, with Pathfinder as one of the major beneficiaries."
- raises hand -

I just so happen to be part of that statistic...

Yeah, me too.

That would require deflation, which can be really, really bad for the economy and is not something anyone should want.

Living in a farm town, I've not seen much increase in meat nor dairy; bread and gasoline, however... (I miss the days of $0.759/gal)

A McDonalds meal is like $9 these days. $20 for a movie ticket.

$7.95 got me in to Dune pt 2 at my local AMC.

McDonalds runs us almost $15 each for big mac or QP meal with large fries and large drink. Burger King's $10.50 for a Whopper, small fries, and small drink.

It's cheaper for me to go to the local chinese place at lunch, where anything but seafood entrées is $7-$9, soupe, rice and tea included. (Panda, a multistate chain, is more expensive... and not quite as good.)

Please.

A retail store certainly has the right to charge whatever they want for products. MSRP, above or below. The "S" in MSRP is "suggested" after all.

The courts in the 9th circuit said otherwise in the mid 1940's, as the feds set maximum prices during and after WW2. Look up the Office of Price Administration. US NARA Records Group 0188. States and localities can set minimum and maximum prices, or even restrict to MSRP.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

edit: posted before seeing mod post

 

[TrippyHippy]

RPGs are more expensive than they have been for a while - mostly based on distribution costs - and the transitional period for D&D has slowed things down on top of this. Personally, I have enough RPG books for the most part anyway. Obviously, there is some enjoyment in collecting more stuff but I don’t need to buy anything else with more than a gaming lifetime (or two) on my existing shelf already.

This year, I’ll probably get the new Pendragon and Ars Magica editions and may probably succumb to the new-not-new edition of D&D (I’ll get the 50th anniversary book anyway). I’ll also maintain interest in Call of Cthulhu and Traveller releases (the latter never appears on these lists, curiously, although they appear to be good business for Mongoose still). None of these are exactly new RPGs though. I feel that I may personally call the hobby quits by the end of the year, spend my money on other things and less time online discussing them (which may please some internet moderators at least).

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Facts.

Unless we see some relief very quickly, I dont know about everyone elses neck of the woods, but the cost of living has me saying 'nope' to a lot more than just hobby material. Steak is off the menu boys, to say nothing of an RPG book that I likely would use a fraction of anyway.

Everything is too expensive, and I declined in terms of income year over year considering the massive jump in inflation and costs.

Entertainment is often an escape, but when things are tightening like this all over, and I already accept I'm in a lucky/blessed position, its an easy cut to make.

I've got books, paper, computer, already. I dont need more.

Yeah I think I bought like 2 books last year, and that was because we got a settlement check from our shifty former landlord after the CA AG’s office investigated them, and we decided to enjoy it a bit.

I can’t afford to fix my vehicle, I’m not buying game books. In spite of me getting a $.55 raise and my wife getting a dollar raise, our spending power dropped dramatically over the last two years, and it keeps getting worse.

I’m not even sure I’ll buy the new PHB during the same year it comes out, and I really like what I’ve seen of what’s going into it. I’ll probably settle for getting it on DDB where I have a juicy discount from buying the legendary bundle back when it was like $200.

 

[Jd Smith1]

The courts in the 9th circuit said otherwise in the mid 1940's, as the feds set maximum prices during and after WW2. Look up the Office of Price Administration. US NARA Records Group 0188. States and localities can set minimum and maximum prices, or even restrict to MSRP.

During a state of emergency, sure. Particularly one with broad popular support. And in a economy of small businesses.

Today it would be politically impossible.

 

[Jd Smith1]

This thread made me go purge my DriveThru wish lists.