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.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yeah, I'm not quite so willing as that to give equal weight to arguments just because of someone's "feelings". Sure, it's possible, but, then again, so are a lot of things. But, people are basically just making stuff up without actually having any reason other than comparisons to completely different products - video games and MMO's - or mostly because folks have an axe to grind with WOtC or corporations in general.

I fear that's not justified or rational is something to be ignored. Perception is not reality. We've had more than enough of that crap in the past. I'm just really, really tired of people making these grandiose claims about how WotC is going to screw us all over and how the hobby is destined to failure. Would it kill people to be just a tiny bit positive, just for five minutes?

Ten years ago, all we heard was how WotC's publication schedule of 3 books per year was going to destroy the hobby. Then it was how WotC was ignoring fans and not producing shorter modules and that was going to destroy the hobby. Then it was how bringing out a few books that didn't toe the line and regurgitate the same crap they'd been pushing for years was going to destroy the hobby. Now it's how a VTT is going to result in "micro-transactions" (whatever that actually means) is going to destroy the hobby.

It would be nice if people could just give it a freaking rest. Just once. No wonder WotC absolutely refuses to engage with fans directly any more. No matter what they say, it's nothing but clickbait garbage headlines about how WotC is killing the hobby. I'm just so freaking tired of it.

Shrugs it is what it is.

Alot is spilling over from Magic the salt is real along with the stench of failure.

It's somewhere between bad and potentially killing the magic cash cow due to things like dumping product in Amazon.

One can overlook most things but Magic potentially tanking is a big one.

 

[Bacon Bits]

And it's what a decade old? I played it recovering from injury 2014.

No. The second article claiming GTA V makes $911 million per year says it's using data collected from the 12 months prior to July 2021. The last GTA V release prior to July 2021 was in 2015, so it's unlikely to be initial sales data. It's all GTA Online. The single player is not where the product value is.

Also note that based on the published data visualization, Fortnite doubled that to $1.8 billion, and Fortnite is free. That's also a relatively bad year for Fortnite, as their total revenue for the first two years the game was out totalled $9 billion.

For my part... I'm really looking forward to the 13th Age 2e kickstarter that's supposed to happen sometime in 2023.

 

[Umbran]

What exactly do people think that she is referring to?

That's the red flag though. Monetization and post release. Translation microtransactions

Yeah. Now, guess what? D&DB already has microtransactions.

So, you seem to be scared of a future that's already been here for a couple years now.

 

[Nikosandros]

So, you seem to be scared of a future that's already been here for a couple years now.

Whatever the president of WotC might be thinking about, it can't be what's currently going on on DDB, since she explicitly said that they want to tackle the under-montetization issue.

 

[Oofta]

Whatever the president of WotC might be thinking about, it can't be what's currently going on on DDB, since she explicitly said that they want to tackle the under-montetization issue.

If there's a VTT they can have very similar things. Get that flametongue sword and want your avatar to match? There's an option for that!

It's not like they're going to monitor your game and charge you a nickel every time you roll a D20.

 

[Umbran]

Whatever the president of WotC might be thinking about, it can't be what's currently going on on DDB, since she explicitly said that they want to tackle the under-montetization issue.

I think folks are reacting with fear by hooking "under monetized" to the game, specifically.

D&D as a BRAND is under-monetized. That doesn't mean massive changes to the game or how it is sold.

 

[Hussar]

Shrugs it is what it is.

Alot is spilling over from Magic the salt is real along with the stench of failure.

It's somewhere between bad and potentially killing the magic cash cow due to things like dumping product in Amazon.

One can overlook most things but Magic potentially tanking is a big one.

Again, the "stench of failure" is by and large people's complete sky is falling stuff fueled by clickbait youtubers and tiktoks. People are freaking out because Magic had an off year. And it wasn't really an off year. They just made less profit than usual.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Yeah, I'm not quite so willing as that to give equal weight to arguments just because of someone's "feelings". Sure, it's possible, but, then again, so are a lot of things. But, people are basically just making stuff up without actually having any reason other than comparisons to completely different products - video games and MMO's - or mostly because folks have an axe to grind with WOtC or corporations in general.

I fear that's not justified or rational is something to be ignored. Perception is not reality. We've had more than enough of that crap in the past. I'm just really, really tired of people making these grandiose claims about how WotC is going to screw us all over and how the hobby is destined to failure. Would it kill people to be just a tiny bit positive, just for five minutes?

Ten years ago, all we heard was how WotC's publication schedule of 3 books per year was going to destroy the hobby. Then it was how WotC was ignoring fans and not producing shorter modules and that was going to destroy the hobby. Then it was how bringing out a few books that didn't toe the line and regurgitate the same crap they'd been pushing for years was going to destroy the hobby. Now it's how a VTT is going to result in "micro-transactions" (whatever that actually means) is going to destroy the hobby.

It would be nice if people could just give it a freaking rest. Just once. No wonder WotC absolutely refuses to engage with fans directly any more. No matter what they say, it's nothing but clickbait garbage headlines about how WotC is killing the hobby. I'm just so freaking tired of it.

It sounds like maybe you are approaching this discussion from a mostly emotional aspect.

If you are getting overwhelmed by negativity maybe engaging in online debates isn't a healthy use of your time.

I'm hearing most people say "I wonder if there is a snake down that path because last time I walked down one like it someone got bit." not "If we go down that path we all will be killed by snakes".

 

[Nikosandros]

I think folks are reacting with fear by hoking "under monetized" to the game, specifically.

D&D as a BRAND is under-monetized. That doesn't mean massive changes to the game or how it is sold.

Personally, at this time, I don't think that we'll see chnges to the game itself. What might happen is that the the sales model on DDB could change and require a subscription from all participants to access the rules. For me, that would be an unwelcome development, but since it's just speculation I won't fret about it...

 

[Umbran]

Personally, at this time, I don't think that we'll see chnges to the game itself. What might happen is that the the sales model on DDB could change and require a subscription from all participants to access the rules. For me, that would be an unwelcome development, but since it's just speculation I won't fret about it...

I won't expect that one, based on how it can kill engagement by more casual players, driving them out of D&DB, and back to paper character sheets.