D&D General Did 5e 2024 Not meet the economic goals set, and if not, why not?

[doctorbadwolf]

His premises are false, IMO.

2024 D&D hasn’t failed, it’s selling very very well. Every shop I know sells through the core books like it’s early 5e, Hasbro isn’t showing any signs of any kind of poor sales, and the last couple points are just silly.

2024 was made to improve the game. It wasn’t even financially needed. D&D was fine financially. They wanted to leave the game improved and they did.

And the playtest literally happened? Is he positing that it was fake or something? What a joke.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

The main reason it’s not a new edition is that the game now runs through DDB first and foremost.

I doubt it is the main reason, but it is certainly a reason and definitely something to consider in the future development of the game.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I don't dare to say the action-live movie was a failure. It helped to open some doors and audience could wellcome a second production.

I guess before a new edition they would dare to test new ideas like classes with special game mechanics.

If Hasbro wants more brand power for D&D then they need more monsters, PC species and classes (not only subclasses). Maybe they would like to create a mon subfranchise style Pokemon, Digimon, Palworld or Battlezoo (by Roll for Combat) but a videogame like this would need a lot of playtesting, even if the software was "soft" like those indies with retro look.

* Maybe we see in the future in Disney+ "Dark Sun: Aliens vs Predators". (yes, a totally fool idea)

 

[Remathilis]

I'm mostly concerned going forwards - we already have Realms and Eberron books - and the new Eberron book is only 112 pages. The Eberron UA was, of course, an art-free 15 pages. Gonna be a hard sell in ways the updated PHB wasn't.

The new Eberron book is a patch for Rising from the Last War, not a full campaign guide again. I actually prefer that it's a slim book with just the mechanical updates and some additional advice rather than reprinting the guide to Sharn for the third time.

 

[DEFCON 1]

For any edition or sub-edition, good sales for the core three books are essential. If they don't sell, nothing else in that edition is likely to sell either.

So yes, 5.24's core three not selling well would, if true, be a very major faiing indeed.

It's the "if true" bit there at which we can only guess, for the time being.

I disagree. Let's see the sales of the next five books after these new 5E24 core books to see how the D&D line is doing.

If those books sell on par with the previous five books prior to the 5E24 core books... then everything is progressing right along as normal. You could remove the three new core books from the publishing schedule and everything would still be perfectly fine-- the 5E line still moving on. And if one then inserts those three 5E24 core books into the middle of that... they become just another set of books published in their line. Books that some people were going to buy, and some who weren't, but none of which impacting the sales of subsequent books. The 5E game line still just chugging along.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

For the latter, is your DM not aware that they can just share their own books with players in the campaign and not require them to purchase additional copies? That’s one of the best perks of DDB!

You need a Master tier subscription to D&D Beyond to enable content sharing, so I guess this particular DM didn't want to spend any extra money on the campaign.

 

[mamba]

If those books sell on par with the previous five books prior to the 5E24 core books... then everything is progressing right along as normal.

not really, those books were generally not selling as well to begin with, so at best you delayed a further decline, but the goal is to revitalize / grow sales

You could remove the three new core books from the publishing schedule and everything would still be perfectly fine-- the 5E line still moving on.

yep, and that is kinda the worst case scenario for the 2024 core books

 

[mamba]

You need a Master tier subscription to D&D Beyond to enable content sharing, so I guess this particular DM didn't want to spend any extra money on the campaign.

would have been cheaper to chip in for that than make every player buy the PHB

 

[Neonchameleon]

I've noticed that every edition seems to come in three waves:

1. The core. The bulk of the central ideas - the PHB
2. The Extensions. Xanathar's/Power source Power/the Complete series. Things designed with the same philosophy as the core but there (often with reason) wasn't space for
3. The Weirdness. Tasha's/Essentials/Magic of Incarnum/Bo9S. We've mined all the major expansions so it's time to get interesting and weird and see what we can actually do.

I'm always a fan of the weirdness but it always sells the worst because people happy with the original direction don't like it and people not happy with the original direction aren't interested.

And 2024's outlook appears to me not so good because with ten years of 5e it basically has to start in The Weird as we just need patches for the expansions.

 

[TheSword]

I've noticed that every edition seems to come in three waves:

1. The core. The bulk of the central ideas - the PHB
2. The Extensions. Xanathar's/Power source Power/the Complete series. Things designed with the same philosophy as the core but there (often with reason) wasn't space for
3. The Weirdness. Tasha's/Essentials/Magic of Incarnum/Bo9S. We've mined all the major expansions so it's time to get interesting and weird and see what we can actually do.

I'm always a fan of the weirdness but it always sells the worst because people happy with the original direction don't like it and people not happy with the original direction aren't interested.

And 2024's outlook appears to me not so good because with ten years of 5e it basically has to start in The Weird as we just need patches for the expansions.

Eberron and Forgotten Realms players books don’t strike me as weird. In fact they seem pretty base line and a good place to start. Yet I would say there is plenty of room to develop there.

Honestly our multiple groups have found 2024 to be a straight upgrade on 2014. I get why casual players that get the books out twice a year when mates visit would be reluctant. In my anecdotal experience everyone who regularly plays the game and isn’t mid campaign has been pretty happy to update.

I’m really struggling to see why I wouldn’t. Given the low cost-benefit calculation.