D&D General io9: 2023 Should Have Been D&D's Best Year, Until It Wasn't

[jerryrice4949]

Yes, but the OGL kerfuffle seems to provoked some other game companies to step and create more open games (that seem to have a fair of public interest as per the MCDM game). This could have longer term consequences for D&D - good for gamers but may effect D&D in terms of supporting the new version of 5e and may have consequences on a financial level.

True but most will be a flash in the pan.

 

[jerryrice4949]

I’m going to say that it was an amazing year for the D&D brand. The OGL fiasco was inside baseball and I doubt there was much lasting impact in terms of stank on the brand. The AI art thing and delay on the cards for Deck…please. No one cares except people who need to write clickbait.

The brand impact of the movie and especially BG3 outweigh these by orders of magnitude.

Lousy year for Hasbro, though.

I think you are mostly right but it may have suppressed sales somewhat. I actually like every product this year for the first time in a long time but I have bought none of them. Not because I am boycotting or anything like that, just because my enthusiasm for the game has been a little diminished with the constant negativity. Now I am just one person and I still plan to buy a couple of this years releases but the constant controversy can be wearing.

 

[Alzrius]

I'd also add the disrespect shown to Jeff Easley over removing his name from the D&D movie promo image that he drew to the list of controversies, but that one might be on Paramount (or whoever does their marketing) rather than Hasbro.

 

[Clint_L]

I'd also add the disrespect shown to Jeff Easley over removing his name from the D&D movie promo image that he drew to the list of controversies, but that one might be on Paramount (or whoever does their marketing) rather than Hasbro.

Seriously? We’re really reaching here.

 

[jerryrice4949]

Seriously? We’re really reaching here.

Yeah that feels like the culture. Negativity just sells. Let’s let Jeff Easley take offense if he wants to, which I doubt he has, no need to do it in others behalf.

 

[eyeheartawk]

Well, the D&D movie didn't make any money, but I doubt that factored into this decision.

It always baffles me when large corporations that are active in multiple sectors make cuts in the sectors that are their most profitable.

"I know I'll cut the workforce in the part of our business that's actually making us the largest margins and already has a small workforce compared to the profit they generate" -Hasbro MBA #947

 

[nevin]

they all but

What's different now is that the latest event will significantly cut into their ability to produce new products, in a year that is supposed to see the launch of a new edition and an in-house VTT, something very ambitious for a company whose history with developing D&D online services has been a very long string of failures.

Of course we could all see a big surprise and their plans for the next 6 to 12 months turn out amazingly and everything before will immediately be forgotten.
But even when the furious talking about the drama of the day dies down, the impacts of a continuing series of bad PR and disappointing products does add up over time.

And we have to ask if the underlying causes of the issues of the past year (and previous years) have been solved so that these things won't continue to happen. And it does not seem that there is any indication for that being the case.
Keep the same procedures in place, and expect the same outcome to continue.

I suspect that the video games made all the money so that's where the next round of money is going. Hasbro has indicated more than once they want to media"tize" Dungeons and dragons and the rumor another movie won't go away. I hope they understand that good games take a minimum of 3 to 5 years to bring to decent and playable states. If they manage to turn video games and movies into the primary money stream D&D may become more like monopoly. they may just throw out the rules and leave em alone and just sell books.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yeah that feels like the culture. Negativity just sells. Let’s let Jeff Easley take offense if he wants to, which I doubt he has, no need to do it in others behalf.

Many things would be better if folks stopped taking offense on behalf of others, but recent history tells us that not the way we're going.

 

[nevin]

Yeah that feels like the culture. Negativity just sells. Let’s let Jeff Easley take offense if he wants to, which I doubt he has, no need to do it in others behalf.

putting other people down to lift yourself up and make others feel superior sells. It always has. the internet just put's in in your face 24 x 7

 

[Krachek]

In the year before a major release you just hope to have it not so bad.