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.

 

[FrogReaver]

Well, here is an except of what was actually said beyond the first clickbait line:

Dungeons & Dragons executives think “the brand is really under monetised”

Dungeons & Dragons' owners think the brand is "really under monetised" and have a plan to fix that in the future.

www.dicebreaker.com

This is not mysterious.

In full for context:
Specifically at 34:08 in:

Hasbro, Inc. Webinar

December 8th, 2022 11:00am-11:45am

kvgo.com

Microtran$action$ for the win are in...

Thank you. Now maybe the gaslighting will stop.

 

[FrogReaver]

If you buy scintillating armor pack for your paladin in VTT buf it has zero mechanical impact, why would anyone care?

I don't really worry because IMO WOTC can walk and chew gum at the same time, but there is a legitimate fear that development resources go toward what is making them money instead of actual new game content, or resources go to VTT feature upgrades that they then charge for that may have otherwise been included in a less 'heavy monetized' environment.

I agree that concerns about pay to win don't make sense. But pay to win isn't the only concern around heavy microtransactions. A company designing their product for microtransactions tends to leave some if not many useful features behind the microtransaction pay wall. Features that might otherwise be free. Now instead of having 100 free character portraits to choose from, maybe there's only 15 and they charge a dollar for the rest. Etc.

 

[Mallus]

Going to be depressing watching DnD go the same route as one of my other favourite franchises.

Halo is now 90% glorified storefront, 10% barely functioning game with only a fraction of the content and quality it used to have, while players are charged for things which were free in previous games.

I can see DnD going the same way.

I understand the concern, but in the case of D&D, don’t we make a lot of the content?

 

[FrogReaver]

I understand the concern, but in the case of D&D, don’t we make a lot of the content?

Getting custom content to work on a VTT can sometimes feel like an exercise in futility.

 

[Maxperson]

Would this be much different than it's ever been? Since '74, D&D players have been given the option of buying the core rules and stopping there. OR, they could keep spending money on additional rulebooks, adventures, miniatures, dice, novels, et cetera ad infinitum. But nothing beyond the core rulebooks has ever been required.

Yes it would be different. Microtransactions(paying money for a single magic item or skin) are different from macrotransactions(buying a non-core book).

 

[Maxperson]

Well it's not like Call of Duty. DM could ban it, no?

I mean you could walk into a online game with a character with all kinds of wacky cheatery stuff. How do you handle that now?

I doubt the DM could ban the microtransactions. People wouldn't shell out money for stuff that they wouldn't get to use.

 

[Oofta]

I doubt the DM could ban the microtransactions. People wouldn't shell out money for stuff that they wouldn't get to use.

If it has an actual impact on play, every DM I've ever had has final say on what's allowed. Some are okay with anything, some will ban specific books, classes, races, most will ban 3PP until they review it.

I don't see why that would change. Someone shows up with a color mini they printed on HeroForge? Cool. Show up with a warlock when the DM has specifically banned them? Nope.

 

[darjr]

I doubt the DM could ban the microtransactions. People wouldn't shell out money for stuff that they wouldn't get to use

This was about the “cheater” items, if it ever happens.

But OK, Still how would WotC enforce it?

 

[tetrasodium]

This was about the “cheater” items, if it ever happens.

But OK, Still how would WotC enforce it?

Doesn't even need to be "items". Imagine a premium tier player app badge that enables a 5 second confirmation on move actions before they commit but reveals the FoW for those 5 seconds. "Purely Cosmetic" weapon of warning skins that glow when certain conditions in the GM's dungeon are met. Math influencing dice improvements are another option, maybe players get one free hot roll per day like a less pronounced advantage like 3-23 but rounds down the last few to 20 but can buy a bunch extra for 5$.

 

[darjr]

Doesn't even need to be "items". Imagine a premium tier player app badge that enables a 5 second confirmation on move actions before they commit but reveals the FoW for those 5 seconds. "Purely Cosmetic" weapon of warning skins that glow when certain conditions in the GM's dungeon are met. Math influencing dice improvements are another option, maybe players get one free hot roll per day like a less pronounced advantage like 3-23 but rounds down the last few to 20 but can buy a bunch extra for 5$.

Answer the question.

How can wotc stop me kicking that player out?