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.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

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?

Or survey data.

 

[Zaukrie]

Fancy 3d dice with roll physics to toss around on the mobile app? Character sheet skins? Digital miniatures to use on the VTT? Some kind of character/world organizer?

Which are totally optional to the game, and don't impact those that don't want them at all. Other than WotC makes more money and keeps the game alive, which, I don't know, sounds good?

Look, I'm not a fan of big companies....but this constant "the world is ending for DnD as we know it" sucks. All they've said over and over is that the brand is awesome and they want to make more money. That's, you know, a really good message from a big company.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That’s generally what “recurrent spending” is code for, yeah.

I hear it most often in regards to subscription revenue, which DDB is already getting from me, recurrently.

I don't think I've bought any of their dice, though, since I find the integration of their dice with Discord to be less than ideal. (We just use the Dice Maiden bot.)

 

[Alzrius]

That guy would make a negative video if he was told Hasbro was sending him $1 million tax free.

"Think of the paper cuts!"

You know, I honestly don't understand why some people think that the video I posted is "clickbait" (or otherwise excessively negative), as that seems to presume no legitimate points are being raised.

I disagree, I think that there are legitimate points made in that video, and that we're seeing some of them (not all of them) verified - or at least sound like they're being verified - in the Cocks/Williams chat. The big one being how it sounds like micro-transactions on the D&D Beyond VTT are now in the works.

The only thing that makes sense to me is that some people have a desire to protect the companies they like from criticism (similar to how they would for family members), which I can understand even if I don't agree with it.

 

[Zaukrie]

You know, I honestly don't understand why some people think that the video I posted is "clickbait" (or otherwise excessively negative), as that seems to presume no legitimate points are being raised.

I disagree, I think that there are legitimate points made in that video, and that we're seeing some of them (not all of them) verified - or at least sound like they're being verified - in the Cocks/Williams chat. The big one being how it sounds like micro-transactions on D&D Beyond are now in the works.

The only thing that makes sense to me is that some people have a desire to protect the companies they like from criticism (similar to how they would for family members), which I can understand even if I don't agree with it.

The only thing that makes sense to me is that some people are afraid all the time, and think Hasbro is killing their toys.
And that negative videos get clicks for some reason.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

You know, I honestly don't understand why some people think that the video I posted is "clickbait" (or otherwise excessively negative), as that seems to presume no legitimate points are being raised.

Because we've watched his other videos. He's a clown. Cite someone else.

Even if, this time, the stopped clock is right, he's a bad person to claim has some expertise.

His expertise is making frowny faces and giving the thumbs-down in his YouTube thumbnails.

 

[Incenjucar]

I certainly agree that they could be making a lot more money with D&D, but there are many means to do so. Licensing, random merch, animation, live action, cosplay materials, events, marketing events, toys, posters, clothes, manga, video games, etc.

Books, maybe.

Licensing is probably the safest avenue for gains vs. risk. Tons of creatives out there who would love to make something along the lines of Vermintide.

 

[darjr]

You know, I honestly don't understand why some people think that the video I posted is "clickbait" (or otherwise excessively negative), as that seems to presume no legitimate points are being raised.

I disagree, I think that there are legitimate points made in that video, and that we're seeing some of them (not all of them) verified - or at least sound like they're being verified - in the Cocks/Williams chat. The big one being how it sounds like micro-transactions on the D&D Beyond VTT are now in the works.

The only thing that makes sense to me is that some people have a desire to protect the companies they like from criticism (similar to how they would for family members), which I can understand even if I don't agree with it.

Oh and here we go.

Valid points in service to blatant self serving falsehoods are not usually worth pointing out.

 

[Alzrius]

Valid points in service to blatant self serving falsehoods are not usually worth pointing out.

Okay, I'll bite: what falsehoods are being put forth, and how are they self-serving?

 

[Umbran]

Wow. 20%? So for every 1 DM there's 5 players, not 10.

20% is one GM for every four players.

That does not track.

Does not track... with what? Your personal impressions?

Maybe they're basing this off something they have, like D&D Beyond data that doesn't actually include the whole fan base.

The whole fanbase is nigh impossible to get data from.

Anyone translate that to English?

Not so that we can tell exactly what they mean - broadly, it will mean that in the digital space, you'll have things to spend money on past your initial buy-in. Microtransactions in videogames are an example.