WotC Hasbro Bets Big on D&D

During today's 'Hasbro Fireside Chat', Hasbro's Chris Cocks, chief executive officer, and Cynthia Williams, president of Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming mentioned D&D, and about betting big on its name. This was in addition to the Magic: The Gathering discussion they held on the same call.

The following are rough notes on what they said.

D&D Beyond

• Leaning heavily on D&D Beyond
• 13 million registered users
• Give them more ways to express their fandom
• Hired 350 people last year
• Low attrition

What’s next for D&D

• Never been more popular
• Brand under-monetized
• Excited about D&D Beyond possibilities
• Empower accessibility and development of the user base.
• Data driven insight
• Window into how players are playing
• Companion app on their phone
• Start future monetization starting with D&D Beyond
• DMs are 20% of the audience but lions share of purchases
• Digital game recurrent spending for post sale revenue.
• Speed of digital can expand, yearly book model to include current digital style models.
• Reach highly engaged multigenerational fans.
• Dungeons and Dragons has recognition, 10 out of 10
• Cultural phenomenon right now.
• DND strategy is a broad four quadrant strategy
• Like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or Marvel
• New books and accessories, licensed game stuff, and D&D Beyond
• Huge hopes for D&D

What is success for the D&D Movie

• First big light up oppourtunity for 4th quadrant
• Significant marketing
• They think it’ll have significant box office
• It has second most viewed trailer at Paramount, only eclipsed by Transformers
• Will be licensed video games, some on movies
• Then follow up other media, TV, other movies, etc.
• Bullish on D&D.

 

[Alzrius]

Wow you blow your argument by posting that persons click bait video. I don't take him seriously at all.

So you're saying you think the rest of what I posted is sound?

 

[darjr]

So you're saying you think the rest of what I posted is sound?

ha!

I dunno.

I will say I'm getting tired of fandoms eating their own. Driven in part by cynical click bait like that video.

 

[darjr]

What does the "4 quadrants" stuff refer to? I assume that's some sort of two-axis plot or something?

Four-quadrant seems to refer to a lot of things. I wouldn’t assume that the specific movie marketing term is the relevant one to a games company.

OK the four quadrants are for D&D.

1. Blockbuster entertainment
2. Tripple AAA gaming. (part of the digital push)
3. Amazing set of products. (hobby stores and books and accessories and DnDBeyond).
4. Casual things like toys and games for casual fans.

@Morrus

FYI for ya'll.

Also quadrant 4 is things like t-shirts and licenses.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Uh oh. Here we go.

Micro-transations are already a thing on D&D Beyond.

Wow. 20%? So for every 1 DM there's 5 players, not 10. That does not track. Maybe they're basing this off something they have, like D&D Beyond data that doesn't actually include the whole fan base.

Anyone translate that to English?

Think “battle pass” and cosmetics/skins like in Fortnight etc

 

[doctorhook]

What does the "4 quadrants" stuff refer to? I assume that's some sort of two-axis plot or something?

BCG’s quadrants, based on the axes of market share and growth potential: “Stars”, “Cash cows”, “Dogs”, and “Question Markets”.

Evidently Hasbro sees D&D as a cash cow but wants to move them up to being a star.

 

[pukunui]

NVM. I see someone else beat me to the punch.

 

[overgeeked]

Think “battle pass” and cosmetics/skins like in Fortnight etc

Ah. The micro-transations we all knew they were going to force into their VTT. Yeah, sounds like the naysayers were right. Can't wait for Professor Dungeon Master's and Baron's victory lap.

Given that you can already buy the books piecemeal on DDB, what precisely will these new micro-transactions be for?

(As an aside, I feel like we’ve had this conversation before.)

The VTT. And/or making even more piecemeal DDB purchases.

 

[Undrave]

Another terrifying phrase in your bulleted list, “digital game recurrent spending for post sale revenue,” certainly makes it sound like they aren’t just talking about those things.

Microtransactions?

 

[Xamnam]

Given that you can already buy the books piecemeal on DDB, what precisely will these new micro-transactions be for?

(As an aside, I feel like we’ve had this conversation before.)

Honestly, I think what they're going to be pushing are things like the digital dice or custom themed character sheets that they already have been creating, and while I care not a whit for them, that's relatively innocuous in my eyes. But, I'm not the target audience, and never going to use that site in a way more than cursory.

 

[Rabulias]

Wow. 20%? So for every 1 DM there's 5 players, not 10. That does not track. Maybe they're basing this off something they have, like D&D Beyond data that doesn't actually include the whole fan base.

If DMs are 20%, that is 1 DM for every 4 players, unless you are counting the DM as a player as well (which, they are, I guess). Maybe they are basing this off the standard play expectation?