D&D 5E The Pitfalls of Success: Hasbro Success Story, Take 2

[Charlaquin]

Also, Ska is great, fight me.

 

[jgsugden]

We've seen a lot of attempts to capitalize upon the D&D IP, increased scrutiny by new management, etc...

The truth is that every edition is going to see change, and it comes down to who is in control at the moment as to whether it is good or bad. Marvel is owned by Disney, and has never been stronger. It is in good hands, and those hands are trusted to do the right thing by a smart management team. They see it as a long term asset and build value.

D&D could have the same, or could be chopped for short term profits. We won't know which we'll get for quite some time.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

it will not be chopped, not while it is doing this well. As for creating a larger franchise, that depends on a successful movie, since that is where they are moving forward initially.
Can they make a decent movie? dunno, we will find out in 3 years or so. Can they follow that with another and a TV series or 2? who knows? Hollywood has being trying to bottle the formula for success for a 100 years and not managed it yet.

 

[TwoSix]

Also, Ska is great, fight me.

Hey, here I am, growing older all the time, looking older all the time, feeling younger in my mind.

 

[Charlaquin]

Hey, here I am, growing older all the time, looking older all the time, feeling younger in my mind.

Here I am, doing everything I can, holding on to what I am, pretending I'm a superman.

 

[FrozenNorth]

Also, Ska is great, fight me.

Isn’t that how we got the thread closed down last tome?

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I think you're talking about the late 90s swing revival, not ska, although their popularity did overlap.

Dang it.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the Cherry Poppin Daddies tend to get swirled together in a general, Cocktail 1.0 revival.

Hey, buddy do you got the time?
No I don't got a watch can you spare a dime,
But I got two olives and a couple of limes,*
Guessin' that means it's martini time.


*I love the good reverend, but ... limes in your martini? C'mon, now.

 

[Dausuul]

1. Will "D&D" be a good managed brand? Is D&D the type of IP that Hasbro will be able to successfully mine like the DCEU and Marvel in a happy, profit-maximizing, cross-media synergizing, shareholder-pleasing way?

I think the comparison between the Marvel cinematic universe and the DC one is instructive. Marvel started by making some superhero movies, and they happened to be really good movies, with witty writing and brilliant acting and engaging characters. Marvel then built up their cinematic universe on that strong foundation.

DC saw Marvel making money hand over fist and said "Hey! We want some of that!" So they set out to create a cinematic universe based on DC properties, and made movies with that in mind. But most of those movies were awful, and DC's cinematic universe remains a pale shadow of Marvel's.

Lesson: Start by doing one thing. Focus on doing that one thing well. Don't burden it with your grand plans for the future; just make it as good as it can be, and put it out there. If it succeeds, then you can build on it. If it fails, junk it and move on. (Also, good writing matters.)

It smells to me like Hasbro is going the DC route instead of the Marvel route. They're signing a lot of big names for the D&D movie, which makes me think they're putting a lot of heavy expectations on it and trying to buy their way to success. That rarely turns out well. The good news is, even if the movie flops and the TV show crashes and burns and other tie-ins don't go anywhere, it won't hurt D&D itself... unless the money for those ventures is being taken out of D&D's budget.

2. Now that Hasbro has elevated the D&D and MtG (WoTC) "brands" into a new division (along with digital licensing), what types of products do you expect to see?

Tie-ins galore. We're already seeing this in Magic's "Universes Beyond" initiative, with tie-ins to everything from Lord of the Rings to the Walking Dead. D&D hasn't really felt this yet (except for Stranger Things, but Stranger Things is basically a love letter to D&D, so it's hardly surprising). But D&D tie-ins are surely coming if the boom continues.

Mostly I regard this with a shrug. It ain't my thing, but if it brings in money for the game, more power to 'em. However...

3. What concerns, if any, do you have about the need for even more performance from D&D? Is this a permanent change that Hasbro should be counting on for continued meteoric growth, or is this a reflection of unique factors, such as the Pandemic and the success of certain streaming shows (similar to the late 70s and early 80s having unique circumstances) that will cause the growth to dissipate?

My biggest concern is that Hasbro ends up replicating TSR's mistakes, where the D&D brand gets taken in a thousand different directions and the company makes unsustainable commitments based on short-term growth. Meteoric growth is unsustainable more or less by definition. Sooner or later, it has to slow down, and that's always a painful adjustment. And if they go too hard on tie-ins, you risk ending up with the late-2E scenario where the company is supporting many different settings, each of which sells to only a fraction of the market.

Fortunately, the game is in a much safer place than it was in the TSR era. Hasbro is a behemoth with many, many revenue streams; the failure of one of those streams will not put the company or its IP at risk. And even if Hasbro mothballs the brand, the OGL ensures that a company like Paizo can step in to keep the flame alive.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

As for the broader question, got me. D&D will stop growing, probably in the next few years as I think the interested market will saturate, and people will blame whoever is in charge at the time.

To Hasbro, the interesting question isn't whether D&D qua D&D stops growing; there is a finite amount of money that can be mined from a pen & paper TTRPG, even with streaming and internet and, um, pivoting to video or what have you.

The real question is whether D&D is an IP that be used to make money. Movies, TV shows, toys, books (are those still a thing?), licensed cosplay ... who knows?

It's like Marvel and the comics. The actual comics are barely a blip when it comes to the House of Mouse.

 

[TwoSix]

Here I am, doing everything I can, holding on to what I am, pretending I'm a superman.

Last week, the Ringer (a sports and pop culture site) had a online tournament voting for the best video game character of all time, and Tony Hawk made into the semi-finals; I'm convinced that Goldfinger is responsible for a large portion of that game's enduring popularity.