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.

 

[Oofta]

You can easily flip that around and say why is that a good thing.

Basically it comes down to quality product you're happy paying for vs bilking the playerbase.

As always it's a ymmv situation and there's plenty of examples and counter examples.

And since no one's actually seen what they're talking about who know. Look at what they do vs what they say is my advice.

You keep repeating "bilking the customer". How? Why? Is charging for a product that people want to use bilking?

I just don't see any reasonable way they can rip off customers. It's not like they're selling life saving medicine. The product won't be a monopoly, it will have to work hard to tempt people away from existing services. The examples given are for specific MMOs. Games that you can only play on a specific platform. That's not going to be the case with this VTT.

 

[Zardnaar]

You keep repeating "bilking the customer". How? Why? Is charging for a product that people want to use bilking?

I just don't see any reasonable way they can rip off customers. It's not like they're selling life saving medicine. The product won't be a monopoly, it will have to work hard to tempt people away from existing services. The examples given are for specific MMOs. Games that you can only play on a specific platform. That's not going to be the case with this VTT.

Bulking falls into the whole perception is reality thing. I would suggest MtG argueably has been doing that recently. Various online games do it.

 

[Malmuria]

Yeah. Now, guess what? D&DB already has microtransactions.

So, you seem to be scared of a future that's already been here for a couple years now.

I think this is part of it--how we consume things in general has shifted from an ownership model to a subscription/live service model, and even with services, things that used to be free now suddenly cost a small amount of money (that adds up). Of course, you can always opt out to any form of consumption, but the more certain forms of consumption are the default in everyday life the more that becomes difficult, impractical, or just alienating. That last point is important; for some people the appeal of ttrpgs is that they produce types of human interaction and creativity that is very different from, say, videogames, so to see that being deemphasized, especially for new players, is disheartening.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Now I am wondering if the "Hyrborian-punk" look of Dark Sun could be used to sell merchandising products for young adults: t-shirts, posters and that type of things. WotC could create a contest to hire potential artists and art-designers.

The iconic characters for the classes from 3rd Ed had got a potential for merchandising.

I suppose the strategy is to sell different type of products, not only for the players. Not only toys but also school supplies.

Could Hasbro licence secondary lines for videogames? For example Jakandor. If the studio started to retcon the setting, who would was going to complain?

* I don't know the terms of the deal between Hasbro and Paramount, but if Warner ended the licence of Harry Potter franchise, and they wanted this to replaced with WotC's Stryxhaven.... could this be allowed by Paramount?

* How would be to kill a tarrasque in the island of Fortnite: Battle Royal?

 

[Hussar]

Bulking falls into the whole perception is reality thing. I would suggest MtG argueably has been doing that recently. Various online games do it.

So, essentially, you're admitting that your concerns here are completely fabricated, not grounded in any actual evidence, and are based on examples that are largely unrelated to D&D or RPG's. But, you want these concerns to be considered valid and reasonable and will repeatedly argue that they are so.

D&D is not MtG and the problems at MtG are nowhere near as bad as people are pronouncing them to be. D&D is not an online game. Like, at all. As in you're comparing stuff that is completely unrelated. You might as well be comparing WotC to telephone companies. They aren't related, don't do anything related and have nothing to do with each other.

And when people press for any specifics, you can't actually bring up any. But, you want these concerns to be taken seriously because, it's like my opinion man, we have to respect an opinion right?

 

[Zardnaar]

So, essentially, you're admitting that your concerns here are completely fabricated, not grounded in any actual evidence, and are based on examples that are largely unrelated to D&D or RPG's. But, you want these concerns to be considered valid and reasonable and will repeatedly argue that they are so.

D&D is not MtG and the problems at MtG are nowhere near as bad as people are pronouncing them to be. D&D is not an online game. Like, at all. As in you're comparing stuff that is completely unrelated. You might as well be comparing WotC to telephone companies. They aren't related, don't do anything related and have nothing to do with each other.

And when people press for any specifics, you can't actually bring up any. But, you want these concerns to be taken seriously because, it's like my opinion man, we have to respect an opinion right?

The phrasevthey used has can have negative connotations.

And we've seen what happened to MtG. I bailed on magic when they started pushing the lootbox nature of it hard.

That's essentially it that's all I'm saying. Don't project others opinions into me it's tiring.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I think this is part of it--how we consume things in general has shifted from an ownership model to a subscription/live service model, and even with services, things that used to be free now suddenly cost a small amount of money (that adds up).

I'd rather pay a small fee for what I don't need instead of something I really need.

As long as I cab biy me a cup of coffee or as long as I can afford to buy me breakfast in a coffeehouse, I can buy me a few D&D books.

I am always shocked, that people complain how expansive a game as a service is and then buy a 5 dollar coffee at starbucks or so every morning instead of brewing it at home.

So, I am buying a coffee every other morning, so I could instead afford me a lot of cosmetics for any game I like and I can buy me an extra D&D book or a subscription if I just would not drink coffee for 4 dollars per day...
but the difference is: I don't complain about that.
It is how I set my priorities

Coffee for me has a distinctive advantage for me: I can drink only so much. With microtransactions there is no limit. So there is some more risk with online games, but for most people it is manageable. And for those, who are easily affected by such offers, most would find other things to spend their money.

 

[Malmuria]

I am always shocked, that people complain how expansive a game as a service is and then buy a 5 dollar coffee at starbucks or so every morning instead of brewing it at home.

With both dnd and coffee, I am a home-brewer

 

[Zardnaar]

With both dnd and coffee, I am a home-brewer

Black Friday we bought a pod machine and we have 1-2 in weekends maybev1 more during the week.
Coffee doesn't require much work and if I had to pick coffee would probably win over D&D.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

With both dnd and coffee, I am a home-brewer

miser