D&D 5E (2024) D&D Beyond's Development Roadmap Is A Complete Rebuild Of Platform

D&D Beyond has announced its roadmap for the future, including features in active development and those planned for later down the line. These include a full rebuild of the game platform's engine, a new character builder, tools for Dungeon Masters, and more.

Over the past few months, we’ve launched a new homepage, a revamped and more sortable content library, image reveals in the Maps VTT to help DMs immerse their players more easily, and several other quality-of-life improvements.

2026 is a year of refocusing and rebuilding D&D Beyond to make it easier to play D&D your way. Three major initiatives will drive most of our work:

• Rebuilding D&D Beyond’s Game Platform
• Improving Player Onboarding and Revamping the Character Builder Experience
• Launching a Suite of Dungeon Master Tools

 

[darjr]

Hopefully some of the people who aren't working at 10a/1p/6p are able to support those of us who are

You can leave your questions now or anytime before the AMA.

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[Nikosandros]

Since I started my journey with D&D 5e, I have a bunch of the books digitally on DDB and I will say that the reorganization of the library tab has been my favorite thing about the DDB revamp. Before it was very annoying to get to books I owned on there.

It seems that there is no longer a link to the Italian 2014 PHB through the sources page. I was still able to find it through a Google search.

 

[Clint_L]

D&D Beyond is a really great program which is why I stick with 5th edition. If they would bring older editions back I would drop 5e like a brick. And would hasbro care?

Because supporting different versions of D&D on the same platform would be extremely expensive to cater to a small number of players, would undermine their entire strategy of getting away from editions and into "One D&D"...and because apparently their strategy is working in your case, since they've already got you using it to play 5th edition. It makes zero sense for them to spend more money to compete with themselves.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Because supporting different versions of D&D on the same platform would be extremely expensive to cater to a small number of players, would undermine their entire strategy of getting away from editions and into "One D&D"...and because apparently their strategy is working in your case, since they've already got you using it to play 5th edition. It makes zero sense for them to spend more money to compete with themselves.

You're right, of course. But I could see a time when WotC realizes that they can (probably) make money off of selling us (anyone who is interested) earlier editions, and it is, for once, no longer likely to cannibalize the audience for their new material. If DDB moves to Rules as Data, I believe that it would be much simpler (and cheaper) to make that sort of thing possible. I suppose it depends on how much they make selling PDFs of old rules on DMsGuild, and whether they think they'd make more (I bet they would) putting it all on Beyond.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

You're right, of course. But I could see a time when WotC realizes that they can (probably) make money off of selling us (anyone who is interested) earlier editions, and it is, for once, no longer likely to cannibalize the audience for their new material. If DDB moves to Rules as Data, I believe that it would be much simpler (and cheaper) to make that sort of thing possible. I suppose it depends on how much they make selling PDFs of old rules on DMsGuild, and whether they think they'd make more (I bet they would) putting it all on Beyond.

I suspect that the potential earnings from selling digital access to older editions on D&D beyond are less than the cost of the customer confusion it would create. If we do ever see WotC making a digital platform for older D&D versions, it's going to be on a separate website.

 

[Clint_L]

I suspect that the potential earnings from selling digital access to older editions on D&D beyond are less than the cost of the customer confusion it would create. If we do ever see WotC making a digital platform for older D&D versions, it's going to be on a separate website.

I just don't see them doing it - ever since WotC purchsed TSR they've been extremely wary about going down the same path of, essentially, becoming your own competitor. And ever since they purchased DDB, they've made it clear that that is the future of the game. It's hard for me to see them spending money to undermine the conerstone of the franchise.

I could maybe see them selling physical copies of earlier editions in special collectors formats, similar to the gorgeous 50th anniversary book they put out (one of my favourite possessions). But building digital support for them? No way.

Edit: Now that I wrote it, I desperately want a 50th anniversary collection of the Big Three 1e books, with archival material. Take my money!

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I suspect that the potential earnings from selling digital access to older editions on D&D beyond are less than the cost of the customer confusion it would create. If we do ever see WotC making a digital platform for older D&D versions, it's going to be on a separate website.

That's true, I expect. But if they get DDB working "properly", it would probably not be terribly difficult to make a similar, even duplicate, website that is simply branded and linked differently. I don't think they'd do it if it were too much work for its return, as I suspect it would be yesterday or today. But it might create goodwill, as well as be a moderate revenue stream, if it is easy enough to implement.

 

[OB1]

In the AMA I asked about whether there are plans after the rebuild of the engine to create (or integrate) a DMsGuild like maketplace.

Seems like one of the advantages of the rebuild is that people should be able to more easily create content, whether PC facing, monsters, magic items or full adventures in DDB.

Of course, they may want to keep DDB a WotC curated space only, but I suspect they are going to go full on Apple App store with it. It's the most logical reason for them to have been given the budget to do the rebuild.

 

[Zaukrie]

In the AMA I asked about whether there are plans after the rebuild of the engine to create (or integrate) a DMsGuild like maketplace.

Seems like one of the advantages of the rebuild is that people should be able to more easily create content, whether PC facing, monsters, magic items or full adventures in DDB.

Of course, they may want to keep DDB a WotC curated space only, but I suspect they are going to go full on Apple App store with it. It's the most logical reason for them to have been given the budget to do the rebuild.

I'm wary of the bloat if this happens. Most of the content would be, frankly, not good.

 

[bsss]

You're right, of course. But I could see a time when WotC realizes that they can (probably) make money off of selling us (anyone who is interested) earlier editions, and it is, for once, no longer likely to cannibalize the audience for their new material. If DDB moves to Rules as Data, I believe that it would be much simpler (and cheaper) to make that sort of thing possible. I suppose it depends on how much they make selling PDFs of old rules on DMsGuild, and whether they think they'd make more (I bet they would) putting it all on Beyond.

"Rules as Data" isn't magic, at some point the program needs the development to understand each system's idioms, and for a live service it would need upkeep and other maintenance --- be it feature expectations or making sure 5.5e changes didn't break the 3e rules engine or whatever. Maintaining legacy support in a living codebase can be one of the most obnoxious software problems because the future possibilities are held back by compatibility problems, no one goes back to the old files to port them to "Data v2", and so on. You can't just one and done anything that produces a functional output in a live service.

So look at it the other way, how many people would need to pay $X/mo to pay for Y developers' salaries to support a second, third, etc. system, and what is the $Z benefit to WotC to do that for a deadended (from their perspective) product? It just doesn't seem likely. Let some enthusiasts figure it out on their own, is likely WotC's internal opinion.