WotC D&D Gets A New Division At Hasbro

Hasbro is reorganizing and giving tabletop gaming -- Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: the Gathering -- a higher priority.

According to the Wall Street Journal, WotC's revenue last year was $816 million (a 24% increase on 2019). Brian Goldner, Hasbro's Chief Executive, says WotC is predicted to double revenue from 2019 to 2023.

Hasbro is dividing into three 'units' -- Consumer Products (toys, classic board games); Entertainment (film, TV, licensing); and Wizards & Digital (WotC plus digital licensing).

Hasbro bought WotC in 1999 for about $325M.

WSJ News Exclusive | Dungeons & Dragons Gets a Bigger Role at Hasbro

Toy maker Hasbro is reorganizing to capitalize on a pandemic-fueled boom in old-school tabletop games, creating a separate division around the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.

www.wsj.com

 

[eyeheartawk]

BuT HaSbRo Is GoiNG tO SeLL WoTc.

One should think this ought to put those silly rumors to rest.

I don't know where those rumors came from. Granted most of those revenues are from Magic rather than D&D, but even if Hasbro sold just D&D it would easily be in the tens of millions at least, and not a one existing company in the market is that liquid or could use credit to that degree. Always a ludicrous statement.

 

[MGibster]

And a hue and cry goes out from all the older fans who desperately want D&D sold off and bought by someone who "gets it" and changes the game back to the old ways they think it is supposed to be.

Not me. I don't like every decision WotC has made in regards to the direction of D&D, but at the end of the day they're still putting out a good product and I wish them well.

 

[wingsandsword]

I often see people decrying those rumours, but I've never actually seen the rumours.

It seems more like there are rumors that there are rumors.

 

[Scribe]

An interesting tidbit from the end of the article: is this something we'd heard before now?



So now, Chandra Nalaar and Gandalf can team up to fight Slaanesh!

What in the sweet name of God.

Mixing GW and Magic?? I'll hopefully be in a coma when that comes out...

 

[kenada]

I often see people decrying those rumours, but I've never actually seen the rumours.

‘Speculation’ might be a better way to put it . There were a couple of posts from ICv2 a few months back on it. Those weren’t very high quality posts, but that’s why I used the Spongebob text.

• ICv2 Has A Theory That WotC Will Be Sold (ICv2: 1, 2)

 

[HomegrownHydra]

I'm not clear about what this change entails (I can't read the whole article). Is it simply a matter of having WOTC handle all the digital stuff, or is something more going on? How does this effect D&D?

 

[Campbell]

And here's hoping that the rising tide continues to raise all ships!

What a difference a couple of decades make.

This is really good news for D&D (which I am really happy about), but I think there's very little evidence that the rising tide really raises all ships. That growth in D&D leads to overall growth in the rest of the hobby.

 

[darjr]

There was this stuff

D&D: Is Hasbro Preparing To Sell WotC? ICv2 Seems To Think So

With two lawsuits on the horizon, and recent board game moves, rumors swirl that Hasbro might be prepping to sell Wizards of the Coast.

www.belloflostsouls.net

 

[GreyLord]

An interesting tidbit from the end of the article: is this something we'd heard before now?

"Hasbro will announce new partnerships during its Thursday event, including a deal with U.K.-based Games Workshop Group to bring its war game "Warhammer 40,000" to Magic, and an agreement with Middle Earth Enterprises for a "The Lord of the Rings"-themed expansion. "

So now, Chandra Nalaar and Gandalf can team up to fight Slaanesh!

If this is, there are probably some rather strict items that prevent WotC from doing that specifically, though what you do in your own home is a different matter.

I'm not clear about what this change entails (I can't read the whole article). Is it simply a matter of having WOTC handle all the digital stuff, or is something more going on? How does this effect D&D?

It's a reorganization which allows for a more efficient approach to what is important to the company today (In my opinion). WotC and it's brands have risen in sales and importance (once again, in my opinion) over the past few years to become a major flagstaff of the company itself. Reorganizing it so that they can be run more efficiently and that those who run them have more appropriate connections and ability to make decisions on how to improve this income and garner new ideas to generate even better expansion is probably beneficial to everyone else as well.

 

[darjr]

Then there was a raft of the YouTube rumorati

edit: ha! And the 2018 just goes to show it’s a cycle.