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.

 

[darjr]

I don't really understand your point with that infographic. Are you suggesting that there should be a limit on the revenue that Hasbro can make? When they earn less or lose money, like for 2022, do we owe them?

I think he’s saying they are going bust by making money… or something. I’m not sure.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

There's bad ways to make money both for the consumer and probably long term for WotC.

And we have a prime example of that with MtG and what they're saying now.

Nothing on the D&D side on what they have talked about has raised flags for me. This could change, but until it actually does it won’t impact me or my thoughts.

 

[Scribe]

I think he’s saying they are going bust by making money… or something. I’m not sure.

Thats totally it. An absolutely intellectually honest take out of you there.

 

[Zardnaar]

Nothing on the D&D side on what they have talked about has raised flags for me. This could change, but until it actually does it won’t impact me or my thoughts.

It's the language used. Combined with sub par product for a bit.

 

[darjr]

Thats totally it. An absolutely intellectually honest take out of you there.

And yours was?

I honestly don’t know what you meant.

Edit: but mea culpa.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

It's the language used. Combined with sub oar product for a bit.

I don’t think products have been sup par, and the language used once again does not raise flags for me.

 

[darjr]

I don’t think products have been sup par, and the language used once again does not raise flags for me.

I dint either. But ya have to admit there are a lot of folks who are not happy with some of it for complaints I can understand even if I don’t agree.

Sure many issues I think are not reasonable either, but that’s something else entirely.

I dunno about the magic side at all either.

 

[Mistwell]

There's bad ways to make money both for the consumer and probably long term for WotC.

And we have a prime example of that with MtG and what they're saying now.

What they're saying now doesn't look bad to me at all. Looks to me they're saying, "Bet we could get that 80% of players to what to buy more stuff from us like video games and movies and toys and board games and licensed stuff!" Which is fine. Good even.

 

[Zardnaar]

What they're saying now doesn't look bad to me at all. Looks to me they're saying, "Bet we could get that 80% of players to what to buy more stuff from us like video games and movies and toys and board games and licensed stuff!" Which is fine. Good even.

Which is fine but I'm familiar with the MrG side if things and how they basically milked the playbase.

Which has lead to the reason why they did that chat in the first place.

And full steam ahead is basically their response. Which doesn't actually fix the problems MtG is having.

 

[Mistwell]

Which is fine but I'm familiar with the MrG side if things and how they basically milked the playbase.

Which has lead to the reason why they did that chat in the first place.

And full steam ahead is basically their response. Which doesn't actually fix the problems MtG is having.

I mean, they said MtG is focused on one dimension deeply and they want to take a different 4 dimension more broad approach with D&D due to higher name recognition. So why are you assuming, directly in contravention to what they said, they will follow the same pattern with D&D as they did with MtG?

I mean I get you're not happy with the direction they went with MtG...but what does that have to do with this D&D topic?