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]

Dunno about WotC specifically, but it is pretty normal for companies that sell to distributors to count that as the sale

in that case the largest print run in itself ensures that it is also seen as the fastest selling, regardless of any actual sales to consumers

Maybe that is what they count, but then it has little value as a metric

 

[Parmandur]

in that case the largest print run in itself ensures that it is also seen as the fastest selling, regardless of any actual sales to consumers

Maybe that is what they count, but then it has little value as a metric

Yes, it is a neat trick.

However, probably also still accurate insofar as they are already getting requests from retailers and distributors for a new printing. So they are probably still selling three times as fast or more given that people are having to put in backorders: a three times larger print run was insufficient for the demand, even at the final sale level.

 

[darjr]

in that case the largest print run in itself ensures that it is also seen as the fastest selling, regardless of any actual sales to consumers

Maybe that is what they count, but then it has little value as a metric

Yes, it is a neat trick.

However, probably also still accurate insofar as they are already getting requests from retailers and distributors for a new printing. So they are probably still selling three times as fast or more given that people are having to put in backorders: a three times larger print run was insufficient for the demand, even at the final sale level.

Wait.

Do you know if distribution orders all of their possible books for a given printing? Or do they generally order what they think they can make a profit on?

As an aside I do notice that my FLGS still has special cover copies in their store, but I think they ordered a lot of them.

 

[Parmandur]

Wait.

Do you know if distribution orders all of their possible books for a given printing? Or do they generally order what they think they can make a profit on?

As an aside I do notice that my FLGS still has special cover copies in their store, but I think they ordered a lot of them.

I don't know the details of WotC relationship with their distributors specifically, but generally distributors will buy what they think they can sell over a reasonable period of time, probsvly based on their own internal projections.

All accounts from the retailer level (trying to get new books from the distributors) suggests that the distributors didn't get enough to have lots of spare stock very quickly, which means someone in the chain underestimated demand somewhat.

Nice problem for WotC, the printers, the distributors, and the retailers.

 

[Stormonu]

I'd say D&D is easily 10x more popular than it was 10 years ago so this tracks

Yeah, when I get asked by cashiers at the grocery store questions about D&D (I've now had that happen on three separate occasions), the popularity level has definitely changed for the better.

 

[Selas]

Was there another video published yesterday from Roll for Combat tripling down on the whole "low sales" pitch again? I saw in my YouTube algorithm a new video that's a day old, but I quickly removed it.

 

[Zardnaar]

Of course! But I have seen many people argue that D&D is out of its golden age, dwindling, losing touch with consumers, and more.

Whatever WotC is doing wrong, they are clearly doing something right.

I think they peaked a few years back. Doesn't mean they're crashing and burning.

Would expect a drop off after 2024 was announced and the products been a bit meh for a while now.

 

[Zardnaar]

Was there another video published yesterday from Roll for Combat tripling down on the whole "low sales" pitch again? I saw in my YouTube algorithm a new video that's a day old, but I quickly removed it.

Did you watch it?

 

[Oofta]

I think they peaked a few years back. Doesn't mean they're crashing and burning.

Would expect a drop off after 2024 was announced and the products been a bit meh for a while now.

Weren't you the same person that was claiming that 5E was going to crash and burn during the first year or so of it's release?

 

[darjr]

Was there another video published yesterday from Roll for Combat tripling down on the whole "low sales" pitch again? I saw in my YouTube algorithm a new video that's a day old, but I quickly removed it.

Bob the world builder posted a video. Strangely seemed to be trying to spin the original. What he said was in the original didn’t entirely match what I saw.