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.

 

[mamba]

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.

You are running a FLGS, I assume that skews your audience somewhat.

When Mike Shae does his surveys he gets about 50% DDB users I believe.

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.

yes, many are free, that would usually be players with the DM sharing their books via subscription

1 in 6 would mean 100M 5e players over its lifetime, that is way too high. 50% sounds much closer to the truth than even 20% to me

 

[Parmandur]

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

Not meaningless for business purposes: going from 40 million general Gfns to 85 Million is pretty desirable for a company.

 

[bedir than]

This may help people clarify the difference between fan and player for D&D

Sports teams might have a million people watch their game on tv. These are fans.
They might have 50,000 in their stadium for that match -- those are the equal of the D&D player in this anology.

Many hobbies have more people that are fans of the hobby than actively participate in it regularly.

 

[Parmandur]

You are running a FLGS, I assume that skews your audience somewhat.

When Mike Shae does his surveys he gets about 50% DDB users I believe.


yes, many are free, that would usually be players with the DM sharing their books via subscription

1 in 6 would mean 100M 5e players over its lifetime, that is way too high. 50% sounds much closer to the truth than even 20% to me

Mike Shay almost certainly doesn't have a representative sample, no more or less than @FitzTheRuke does.

The number we have puts Beyond account holders at about 21% of "D&D fans" which seems about right.

 

[Morrus]

You are running a FLGS, I assume that skews y

When Mike Shae does his surveys he gets about 50% DDB users I believe.


yes, many are free, that would usually be players with the DM sharing their books via subscription

1 in 6 would mean 100M 5e players over its lifetime, that is way too high. 50% sounds much closer to the truth than even 20% to me

You are running a FLGS, I assume that skews your audience somewhat.

When Mike Shae does his surveys he gets about 50% DDB users I believe.

Mike’s literally asking ‘online D&D fans who are engaged enough to follow a third party YouTube channel about it’ though. It’s like asking the question here. You couldn’t get more likely to be a DDB user unless you literally asked on DDB. That’s a representative skew as strong as ‘people in an FLGS buying a book’.

 

[mamba]

Not meaningless for business purposes: going from 40 million general Gfns to 85 Million is pretty desirable for a company.

I agree, but am not sure where the 40M number is from or how old it is.

In terms of percentage of D&D players that have a DDB account it does not help much however

 

[FitzTheRuke]

You are running a FLGS, I assume that skews your audience somewhat.

Absolutely - I take that into account when I make assumptions. I even mentioned it!

When Mike Shae does his surveys he gets about 50% DDB users I believe.

Surveys from...? His YouTube videos? You think that my opinion would be colored by my anecdotal experience, but that would not skew toward people who enjoy their content digitally? EDIT: Ninja'd by Morrus! EDIT EDIT: Oh, and Parmander, too! Sorry Parm!

yes, many are free, that would usually be players with the DM sharing their books via subscription

That makes sense.

1 in 6 would mean 100M 5e players over its lifetime, that is way too high. 50% sounds much closer to the truth than even 20% to me.

Yeah, okay, you have a point there, although again - DDB accounts don't necessarily "play" - and I'm talking players vs DDB account holders. But yeah, I'll grant you my gut is probably skewing a bit high.

Either way, trying to math the number of players from the number of DDB accounts is a fool's game.

 

[mamba]

Mike Shay almost certainly doesn't have a representative sample, no more or less than @FitzTheRuke does.

he might be skewed too

The number we have puts Beyond account holders at about 21% of "D&D fans" which seems about right.

making the question how many fans are actually players, the 50% (of players) and the 21% (of fans) can both be right at the same time

 

[mamba]

Mike’s literally asking ‘online D&D fans who are engaged enough to follow a third party YouTube channel about it’ though.

yes, and @FitzTheRuke is asking D&D players who are engaged enough to visit a FLGS. They might both be skewed, but I very much doubt the 1 in 6 is anywhere close to accurate

Surveys from...? His YouTube videos? You think that my opinion would be colored by my anecdotal experience, but that would not skew toward people who enjoy their content digitally?

pretty much everyone is in YT these days. I am not saying his number is absolutely correct, but I find 1 in 2 much more likely than 1 in 6

 

[Morrus]

yes, and @FitzTheRuke is asking D&D players who are engaged enough to visit a FLGS. They might both be skewed,

That’s literally what my post said.