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.

 

[dragoner]

That feels like someone confusing their gaming tastes with what's good for their business, similar to the people proclaiming that "no one" is buying the 2024 books because their group chose not to.

They had them at mine, that is where I got it. They have one left, a few days ago it was four.

The Sage's Shoppe

www.thesagesshoppe.com

 

[Parmandur]

Just anecdotal but when I bought it at my FLGS I asked how it was doing, and they said it was "flying off the shelf". They had a big pile of it, so I imagine they ordered a lot.

Oh and mine was printed i Belgium which I found interesting. I though they would all be printed in China I'm from Copenhagen (Denmark) so I appreciated it didn't travel around the globe.

WotC usually prints (relatively) locally, for D&D and Magic cards. Saves on customs and shipping.

 

[darjr]

Just anecdotal but when I bought it at my FLGS I asked how it was doing, and they said it was "flying off the shelf". They had a big pile of it, so I imagine they ordered a lot.

Oh and mine was printed i Belgium which I found interesting. I though they would all be printed in China I'm from Copenhagen (Denmark) so I appreciated it didn't travel around the globe.

They went to a few printers apparently. What part of the world did you buy yours?

Edit: Oh I see, you’re in Denmark.

 

[Retreater]

That feels like someone confusing their gaming tastes with what's good for their business, similar to the people proclaiming that "no one" is buying the 2024 books because their group chose not to.

Agreed. I don't know why a business wouldn't keep a core product in stock.
It could be that D&D releases didn't seem to fly off the shelves, so they are "stuck" with a bit of product.
They do have copies of Van Richten's Guide that have been there since release date (they put the date on the pricetags, so we can tell these things.)

 

[SteveC]

Here someone was complaining about the price if game and asked about how much they used to cost. They were shocked to learn the games weren't only cheaper adjusted for inflation but cheaper in absolute terms.

This is so true! I found the old box for Ultima IV, a game I spent the better part of a year saving for as a kid. The price was ... $60.

But the thing is, if game prices had inflated by the same margin as most things, no one would be able to purchase them. There's no way I would be buying more than one or two games in a year if they were, say $120 to $150 or more. And the market for those games is people who make significantly less money than I am fortunate to make.

 

[Zardnaar]

This is so true! I found the old box for Ultima IV, a game I spent the better part of a year saving for as a kid. The price was ... $60.

But the thing is, if game prices had inflated by the same margin as most things, no one would be able to purchase them. There's no way I would be buying more than one or two games in a year if they were, say $120 to $150 or more. And the market for those games is people who make significantly less money than I am fortunate to make.

People would still buy them they did back then.

Who's buying them and the quantity would change.

I had 16 games on my megadrive bitd. Now I've got around 50 or 60 but they were bought when prices tanked in ps1/2 era.

If you were a PC gamer say 1993 odds are you were from a double income middle class or better family. For me then a gaming rig, new car or gold plated rocket to the moon were all the same thing.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It could be that D&D releases didn't seem to fly off the shelves, so they are "stuck" with a bit of product.
They do have copies of Van Richten's Guide that have been there since release date (they put the date on the pricetags, so we can tell these things.)

I don't know the ins and outs of game sales, but if they're not buying the more likely to sell new stuff because they're stuck with the old stuff, that feels like a big problem but also one that there ought to be some sort of proactive solutions to. Maybe stick it all on eBay and recoup whatever costs the owner can?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

So this is strange...
I've visited my FLGS a few times in recent weeks to see if they have the 2024 book in stock, how many copies, etc.
And ... they're apparently not carrying it. They have a large D&D section with multiple copies of nearly every book you can imagine. However, they did preorders of 2024. If you didn't special order it, they're not going to keep it in stock.
That feels weird, not having that book on the shelf. They even have Pathfinder Core revisions.
Anyone else experience this?

That sounds like a foolish retailer who is allowing their opinion of a product affect their support of it - at their customer's expense. It's a good way to not last in the long-term.

I'd 100% support this mentality if it were about some sort of actual exploitation on the part of WotC, like child-labour or criminal activity, but WotC's main "crimes" have been simply foolish PR blunders, for the most part, and I suspect that it's more likely that this retailer simply doesn't like the new rules, more than it's some kind of moral stance. (Though I admit that I don't know).

 

[Lanefan]

side question

@FitzTheRuke - what's your store called? I've forgotten...again...

/side question

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I don't know the ins and outs of game sales, but if they're not buying the more likely to sell new stuff because they're stuck with the old stuff, that feels like a big problem but also one that there ought to be some sort of proactive solutions to. Maybe stick it all on eBay and recoup whatever costs the owner can?

There's lots of ways to deal with stock that isn't moving. Not ordering new stuff isn't the way. That said, I can see a retailer simply not having faith that the product will do well, but they ought to be coming around on that score FAST. (Though they should have learned that lesson from their preorders, if they weren't tiny). Maybe they're just in an area or have a customer base that has an anti-WotC culture, but I'm just trying to be fair to the retailer. I suspect that they're just letting their personal feelings get in the way of their business sense, as you remarked above.