WotC Hasbro Bets Big on D&D

During today's 'Hasbro Fireside Chat', Hasbro's Chris Cocks, chief executive officer, and Cynthia Williams, president of Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming mentioned D&D, and about betting big on its name. This was in addition to the Magic: The Gathering discussion they held on the same call.

The following are rough notes on what they said.

D&D Beyond

• Leaning heavily on D&D Beyond
• 13 million registered users
• Give them more ways to express their fandom
• Hired 350 people last year
• Low attrition

What’s next for D&D

• Never been more popular
• Brand under-monetized
• Excited about D&D Beyond possibilities
• Empower accessibility and development of the user base.
• Data driven insight
• Window into how players are playing
• Companion app on their phone
• Start future monetization starting with D&D Beyond
• DMs are 20% of the audience but lions share of purchases
• Digital game recurrent spending for post sale revenue.
• Speed of digital can expand, yearly book model to include current digital style models.
• Reach highly engaged multigenerational fans.
• Dungeons and Dragons has recognition, 10 out of 10
• Cultural phenomenon right now.
• DND strategy is a broad four quadrant strategy
• Like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or Marvel
• New books and accessories, licensed game stuff, and D&D Beyond
• Huge hopes for D&D

What is success for the D&D Movie

• First big light up oppourtunity for 4th quadrant
• Significant marketing
• They think it’ll have significant box office
• It has second most viewed trailer at Paramount, only eclipsed by Transformers
• Will be licensed video games, some on movies
• Then follow up other media, TV, other movies, etc.
• Bullish on D&D.

 

[Rabbitbait]

I'm happy as it sounds like there will be a lot of resource poured into D&D which hopefully means more adventures, more fun, more good D&D video games.

I'm worried as I have a huge sunk cost in D&D rulebooks and adventures on Roll20 and I'd hate for them to become unusable or for no new materials to be enabled on Roll20.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

And it absolutely negatively impacted the game.

In what way? I collect pets in World of Warcraft, and have bought a few of those from the store over the years, when they were for charity, but I am perfectly capable of collecting the literally thousands of in-game pets without doing so.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Please state an opinion rather than linking to a YouTube video. YouTubers do not inherently have any expertise in anything other than the algorithm.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Oh, and for the record, I paid for a D&D microtransaction yesterday, when I unlocked the Kender PC race on D&D Beyond for my players.

I was never going to buy the Dragonlance book, digitally or otherwise, but I have an upcoming Radiant Citadel game that I've told my players they are free to get a little crazy with when creating player characters and decided that kender would be a fun possible addition to the mix, especially since the powers that be at the Radiant Citadel will have a bit of a culture clash with them.

So WotC did get more money out of me than they would have under a previous business model, through a digital microtransaction. I have a hard time seeing anyone other than kender-haters being harmed by this, though.

 

[DarkCrisis]

They've stated elsewhere that they have no intent of going online only with content.

For now.

 

[Lanefan]

Oh, and for the record, I paid for a D&D microtransaction yesterday, when I unlocked the Kender PC race on D&D Beyond for my players.

I was never going to buy the Dragonlance book, digitally or otherwise, but I have an upcoming Radiant Citadel game that I've told my players they are free to get a little crazy with when creating player characters and decided that kender would be a fun possible addition to the mix, especially since the powers that be at the Radiant Citadel will have a bit of a culture clash with them.

So WotC did get more money out of me than they would have under a previous business model, through a digital microtransaction. I have a hard time seeing anyone other than kender-haters being harmed by this, though.

Problem is, every time you or anyone else chooses to engage in a microtransaction like that, it just encourages them.

 

[Zardnaar]

@Zardnaar
Are you two assuming that most DMs are older folks? Seems like a stretch.

No it's what WotC was implying.

 

[Incenjucar]

Do they have user avatars yet? User avatar cosmetics are a good place for burning money without an impact on the game. Bonus if you can get lip flaps for PNG streaming.

 

[Zardnaar]

I don't mind DLC/microtransactions as long as they don't go overboard with it and the original product is "complete".

Some give you bare boned game and sell dlc later.

 

[darjr]

No it's what WotC was implying.

They said DMs are 20% and make most of the purchases. Nothing about age at all.

Did I miss a bit?