Dungeons & Dragons Will Announce New Products at Gen Con, Modules Returning to Game

Wizards of the Coast plans to use Gen Con as a launching point for future products. During a press briefing at Gary Con on Thursday, Head of D&D Franchise Dan Ayoub said that they would be announcing the product tied to the Season of Champions at Gen Con this year. Additionally, starting at Gen Con in 2026, D&D will also announce the roadmap for the upcoming year at the convention, which will include announcements of upcoming Seasons, announcement of new products, and other "stuff" tied to the season.

Ayoub told the press briefing that early feedback for the seasons have been "fantastic," so it appears that this will be the standard moving forward.

Later in the press briefing, Ayoub noted that the lengthy delay in announcements was due to a combination of internal reorganization for the D&D team and a shift in which products would be released in 2026. He also said that adventure modules will be returning to Dungeons & Dragons as part of the new Season models, although it's unclear whether this will be through the D&D Encounters program, Adventurer's League, or through some other kind of unannounced product.

 

[Parmandur]

But I am fully aware of my biases: I think it is crazy that we haven't had a legitimately new D&D setting in at least 15 years (depending on if you count Nentir Vale as a new setting). Every time folks get excited at yet another rehash of an old setting I die a little inside.

We have had Widlemoint, we have had Witch light, we have had the many Settings of the Radiant Citadel.

Mostly, third parties have absolutely exploded with Settings in the past decade, and at this point WotC is putting those up on Beyond.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

But I am fully aware of my biases: I think it is crazy that we haven't had a legitimately new D&D setting in at least 15 years (depending on if you count Nentir Vale as a new setting). Every time folks get excited at yet another rehash of an old setting I die a little inside.

I would bet there is a bulletin board in Renton, real or metaphorical, that has a bunch of D&D setting IPs listed on it, with little cards in each column listing where they are in getting this property adapted into another format, along with what challenges they face.

And there are definitely one or more columns for new settings that either cover gaps in existing settings (Studio Ghibli inspired and cozy fantasy would be my two bets there) or are making up for IPs with problematic elements.

I love new settings myself, but this is like Disney managing their MCU, Star Wars, Pixar and classic Disney brands. They can and will make new stuff, but they are absolutely going to continue leveraging existing successful IPs. They'd be crazy not to. WotC is far behind them on this approach, but it definitely seems to be their strategy now -- and it's probably going to be a successful one.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Just clarifying the timeline, I honestly don't know what it means: but the most explicit Dark Sun test came well after the shakeup Ayoub was describing.

But he described the shake-up to explain why they waited to announce things (which happened much later) and said that they chose to rearrange the schedule a bit. Things that would have happened more recently than what you're saying, I suspect.

My point only being that they may have moved DS back a year after all. Maybe, maybe not. I was very certain we'd see it this year, now not so much, is all.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I disagree. Gladiators can feature in any setting, sure, but Dark Sun's sand makes for big gladiatorial arenas like you seen in both Gladiator movies, Sparticus, and Thor vs Hulk just work... better.

You can put those in any setting. And you don’t need psionics and stuff to do it. How much effort have they put into psionics over the years? It would make no sense to do that just to do something on gladiators.

 

[TerraDave]

They did say that Luke's projects would involve physical releases, something that EN World commenters are insisting will only be on DMs Guild for some reason.

Well not all of us are insisting. But some weird parsing going on in any case. Should be clearer in a few months.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

You can put those in any setting. And you don’t need psionics and stuff to do it. How much effort have they put into psionics over the years? It would make no sense to do that just to do something on gladiators.

I mean, you can do both Gladiators and Psionics in the same products?

 

[Von Ether]

Make. Something. New.

I hear you but when people are going to complain anyway, a completely new is just more of a gamble compared to sneaking in a few new things inside something old.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I mean, you can do both Gladiators and Psionics in the same products?

Then you would name it after the feature that made it distinct: the Season of Space Magic, not after the common generic fantasy trope.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

They did say that Luke's projects would involve physical releases, something that EN World commenters are insisting will only be on DMs Guild for some reason.

If I sound like I'm insisting, that's on me. I just think this is all a lot more vague than people are assuming, due to understandable hope and enthusiasm about what it could all mean.

 

[Remathilis]

I guess if they go narrow focus on gladiator stuff it makes some sense, but I still don't feel it. But I don't care about DS anyway and can't figure out why they would bother with such a niche setting. The fanbase literally shrinks every day.

I said that about Greyhawk and Spelljammer and yet here we are.