D&D General Adam Bradford, Lauren Urban, Todd Kenrick Leave D&D Beyond

They join lead writer James Haeck, who left a couple of weeks ago. Adam Bradford is the D&D Beyond co-founder, and VP of Tabletop Gaming at its owner, Fandom. Lauren Urban is DDB's Community Manager. Todd Kenrick is the company's Creative Manager.

D&D Beyond, launched in 2017, is currently owned by Fandom (previously known as Wikia), after it acquired the company in 2018 from previous owner Curse, a Twitch subsidiary.

According to Cam Banks, creator of DDB owner Fandom's Cortex, all three received offers elsewhere which they could not turn down.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

WotC has flat out said that they will only do books.

A) Citation needed because that sounds made up.
B) If so, they've made liars of themselves already, because they have not one, but two AAA video game studios. Yes. WotC. Not Hasbro. WotC. They have one they purchased and upstaffed, and one they started from scratch.

 

[Stacie GmrGrl]

Game designers are a niche within a niche. You can't make money selling to them.

In the tabletop RPG market, there is "Dungeons & Dragons," and there is "not Dungeons & Dragons." The second category--all of it put together--almost certainly sells less than the first. That includes Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, Shadowrun, every TRPG in existence other than the 800-pound gorilla.

@darjr is right. D&D Beyond is the golden goose, no matter how hefty the licensing fees. Cortex Prime is a copper pigeon.

Everybody who GMs a rpg is a game designer. If you homebrew you're a designer. If you create even just new monsters you have designed for the game you choose to play.

Just look at drivethrurpg and See just how many new games get designed. Look at all the creater support programs that now exist in the rpg industry.

Game design isn't about making money in and of itself. It's about following your Creative passion and seeing what develops. It's our Imagination at work. (Or, in the case of WotC, corporate politics... But that's them and not the majority of gamers.)

Most rpg books made are aimed at the GM. There are very few books beyond the core book aimed at just the player. It's the GMs that keep this industry afloat. Even in just D&D it's the DMs that run it that keep it going, because they buy the majority of the non-core books.

 

[Michael Linke]

Everybody who GMs a rpg is a game designer. If you homebrew you're a designer. If you create even just new monsters you have designed for the game you choose to play.

Just look at drivethrurpg and See just how many new games get designed. Look at all the creater support programs that now exist in the rpg industry.

Game design isn't about making money in and of itself. It's about following your Creative passion and seeing what develops. It's our Imagination at work. (Or, in the case of WotC, corporate politics... But that's them and not the majority of gamers.)

Most rpg books made are aimed at the GM. There are very few books beyond the core book aimed at just the player. It's the GMs that keep this industry afloat. Even in just D&D it's the DMs that run it that keep it going, because they buy the majority of the non-core books.

Agree. "Game design" tools are basically just GM tools. Targeting game designers is really the same thing as targeting GMs. While GMs are a niche-within-a-niche compared to gamers, you can't really push a platform that works for players but not for GMs, as there's nothing to play without the GM.

 

[darjr]

Todd’s first video is live! And it’s part of an interview with Joe!!!

 

[darjr]

And Todd announced his full time gig!

 

[dave2008]

And Todd announced his full time gig!

Interesting, the appears to still be D&D related or at least adjacent as there is an: "Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms."

 

[Dire Bare]

And Todd announced his full time gig!

I'm glad Todd has found a position like this, but . . .

Ugh, I can't stand Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms. I just don't get this style of video game. But I realize that a LOT of folks love these types of games, and that Idle Champions has been doing rather well.

 

[darjr]

I tried it too and bounced off of it.

 

[Azzy]

I tried it too and bounced off of it.

I like your new avatar. Who's the pupper?

 

[darjr]

I like your new avatar. Who's the pupper?

That’s Stella Rey, my wife’s