D&D (2024) 2024 Player’s Handbook is ‘Fastest Selling D&D Book Ever’

It’s only officially been out for a week, but according to Wizards of the Coast, the new Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook has already surpassed Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything to become the fastest selling D&D book ever—in the entire 50-year history of the game. It has sold three times as many copies as the 2014 version of the books did at launch.

Not only that, the 2024 Player’s Handbook was the biggest print run in D&D’s history.

In a press release today, WotC claims more than 85 million D&D fans worldwide, and says that D&D Beyond, the game’s official online platform, has over 18 million users.

 

[Morrus]

What do you think it might be at? Would you attempt an educated guess for us?

God no, I haven’t the foggiest!

 

[Parmandur]

I imagine WotC has a good idea, though they’d report the fans number as it’s higher. You can get a lot of accurate figures from good market research and representative samples. I’d be amazed if at no point they’d hired a solid market research firm and asked them to find out that figure, amongst other things.

Yup, I'm sure they have a pretty good idea, nor do I expect them to provide trade secrets.

Given how we break out arguing here when they raise book prices by ten bucks, it would not surprise me if the spend per customer is shockingly low, which is understandablely frustrating for a company. I'm sure they will be fine, though.

 

[Parmandur]

What do you think it might be at? Would you attempt an educated guess for us?

I think that what WotC is accurate, albeit put in the best light.

 

[mamba]

I mean, 18 million is a fraction of 85 million.

yes, but what is that 85 million number? Anyone who played D&D at least once in the last 50 years? Not even sure how you want to figure that one out

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Actually that is not what this is saying. It is saying that the Author of the Book is Diamond, and the Distributor is PSI.

Yes, but the Author of the book is NOT Diamond, so we are moved to figure out where the error lies.

This is not comic book shop sales, but most likely what Diamond/PSI has sold to customers who allow their cash register sales to be tracked by Bookscan.

Um... what I said would make it "not comic book shop sales", whereas what you write here WOULD be sales in comic book shops.

(Comic stores are the customers that Diamond would sell them to, who would report their sales to Diamond, which in turn, reports it to Bookscan, or as you say, "allow their cash register sales to be tracked by Bookscan".)

Which, if you're correct, and you might be, would be even shoddier data when it comes to actual full PHB sales than I was even thinking.

 

[Scribe]

yes, but what is that 85 million number? Anyone who played D&D at least once in the last 50 years? Not even sure how you want to figure that one out

Maybe its a backwards extrapolation of exactly that. "10 Billion Served" like McDonalds used to say.

Look at sales of say Tashas. Multiple by 5, track whatever growth metrics they have, google hits/searches, youtube engagement, blah blah blah.

Then go 'ok well if we had this growth, year over year, how many sets of eyes have we reached total time.'

85 Million?

Clearly its about as valid as my claim to the throne of England, but whatever.

 

[Parmandur]

yes, but what is that 85 million number? Anyone who played D&D at least once in the last 50 years? Not even sure how you want to figure that one out

Thankfully, I don't need to: but the number seems realistic, since I am certain Beyond has 18 million account holders (since WotC literally cannot lie about thst), and assuming way more people have some attachment to the brand without getting an account.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

DDB has 18M accounts, somewhere I heard that is about 50% of D&D players.

That honestly seems very unlikely to me. While my store's numbers would skew very traditional (books, etc), the vast majority of people who play through my store (both my personal gaming group and most other customers) don't use DDB. Even the ones that were introduced to D&D through BG3 aren't

Even if it is not, it is a significant percentage and not what I would call ‘very small’

I don't think that DDB's accounts (which I am told here are many of the "free" variety) are equal to 1 in every 2 people who play. I can't say for sure that I know the "real" number, or even close, but that seems WAY low to me. I could see, 1-in-6, but I'm just guessing.

 

[mamba]

Thankfully, I don't need to: but the number seems realistic

well, it is not even ‘D&D players ever’, it is just ‘fans’ which is an absolutely meaningless term

In a press release today, WotC claims more than 85 million D&D fans worldwide

So maybe 85 million fans is realistic, no idea. If you think it sounds realistic fine, I could not tell you either way.

I will tell you that there is no way there are anywhere near that many current 5e players however (or even over its lifetime), so it has no relation to the 18M DDB users.

 

[Morrus]

yes, but what is that 85 million number? Anyone who played D&D at least once in the last 50 years? Not even sure how you want to figure that one out

The word used is ‘fans’. They might have read a novel, saw the movie, etc. They are referring to the brand, not the TTRPG specifically.

If they could say “85M current D&D players” they would have.