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.

 

[Vincent55]

I already toss money at electronic vapour wear with champions online, so hard pass on and online D&D shortcut. I ran a few games with this new generation who do everything online at that site. They are not learning anything about how to build or play a character, or what they can and can't do besides what it tells them they can. I use online tools to help me in a pinch or to write up encounters and all parts of being a DM, but i also have read every book and make characters with a sheet and a pencil, because when you do this you read and learn. Whereas on this you just check boxes and it fills it in for you, i get it takes the work out of it for the player but does it really. I remember as a player pouring over book after book looking up this ability and that spells and skills and feats and so one to make the right combination. This is what made me great at knowing how the classes worked and what powers did and after a time i didn't have to look them up all the time. But the main issue is distraction, they constantly look at their phone not listening or contributing to the game. I honestly feel that D&D has lost its magic of what it was, a group of people who didn't fit in and could come together for a night and forget all the reality of this world and become something from their imagination. They could face a high risk of danger and death each sharing the experience together around a table with bags of chips soda or whatever snakes they like. spilt pop and the smell of pizza or whatever bill got at the quick run to the convenience store that day. Playing until ted passed out because he was weak sauce and could hang until the end of the dungeon of death, i miss those days of my youth and what D&D stood for. It has always been about the game and having fun and was never about the real world or who you were in it, and i have seen this game fractured so many times and greed and money being the focus. Any way I have decided to never buy a single D&D product again, i have my older books and a few second or third-party ones that are far better and have much more support and content than this does now. I wish them good luck but for me and suspect many more this is not my D&D anymore, it is just a business about selling the idea but with no substance.

 

[Vincent55]

The future is gonna be good. Don’t Panic. All they said is way more D&D than you’re used to. Try to enjoy. Be not afraid, they like their fans.

split up between many things so that you can't get it all in one place or one book but have to spend money all over thew map, no thanks.

 

[Maxperson]

I'm a registered user of D&D Beyond. Have never used it short of logging in to get free stuff I'll never actually use.

Yep. Same here and I'll bet a significant chunk of the 13m accounts are like that.

 

[Maxperson]

Always assuming the worst is getting old.

I'm actually hoping for the best and hoping that they finally increase the rate of books like Tasha's and Xanathar's. Perhaps with a magic items book, a book of spells and a new monster book thrown in.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Merchandising is where the real money is anyway!​

 

[Zardnaar]

How much does the twilight cleric cost online?

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

And Hasbro is not putting all the eggs in only one basket. Their strategy is to use D&D as a multimedia franchise and selling different types of products.

* I wonder if the strategy about M:tG is starting to be more focused into collector than true players.

* Now I am trying to imagine a D&D actual play show for the Japanese market, with Japanese players, maybe some idol-aspirants. And streamers copying the idea.

* The market of NFC figures ended some years ago. It is increidlbe but Spyro Skylanders, LEGO dimensions or Disney Infinity are years ago. Hasbro can't try the same path, at least if the figures can be used for off-line games.

* D&D could be affected if Hasbro's future is linked with new partnerships, acquisition or possible merger. Let's imagine a merger between Hasbro and Embracer Group, or Hasbro+Epic Games. Don't worry, I am talking about hypothesis, I am not saying this is going to happen!

* Seriously, if Fortnite Creative Mode 2.0. allows a VTT option, then the rest should worry.

It would be funny if players started to use Fornite Creative Mode 2.0. to play games based in Gamma World or Star Frontiers.

* After Baldur's Gate III and expansions the next titles by Larion Studios oughts to be Planescape 2.

 

[GreyLord]

I think Minsc has name recognition due to the latest comic run. But probably not anywhere like Vecna. Some of those comic book characters though were from much longer ago when entertainment of the type was pretty slim.

I mean 1940 for Cap and 1962 for Spiderman.

I'd say there are some characters that have name recognition, maybe not Spiderman levels, but probably equal to some of the lesser Marvel Characters at least.

Drizzt is still a very popular character and has been part of some best selling books.

Dragonlance, despite it's age, still was a best seller for years and had books out for decades. It may still have some strength, especially with the 80s nostalgia that bounces around these days.

Gygax, though not a D&D character still has some name recognition.

There are others that may have limited markets where they are well recognized still (for example, the D&D cartoon characters in Brazil...etc).

 

[Umbran]

Like this charming young lady? I believe there is a factory in China making life size dolls already. Not sure exactly what they are for though...

Mod Note:
Could you keep it clean, please? Thanks much.

 

[Lycurgon]

It sounds like there is a lot of good and possibly, potentially some bad with what they are saying.
There is nothing wrong with Hasbro trying to monetize D&D to a greater extent, that is what companies are usually about.

More computer games? Cool! I may not play them all but good to have choices.
If the D&D movie is as fun as it looks I am keen for them to make more.
I am keen to see a D&D TV show with production values similar to today's fantasy series (WoT, GoT, LOTR etc) but capturing the tone and style of a funny, chaotic party of Adventurer's getting up to shenanigans. It could be great.
A new D&D cartoon? Sure sounds good. Something like what Vox Machina is doing or even a reboot of the original cartoon.
More Apparel, Accessories, Funko and other figurines? Yep, all good.
Start publishing novels set in D&D worlds again, great.
There are tons of ways for them to make great stuff to make money. And I am all for this.


I just hope that the focus on DnDBeyond as a VTT and monetizing it doesn't diminish the experience for tabletop games that like physical books.
I don't like the 3D video game nature of the VTT, it is too distracting from using imagination as a primary component of the gaming experience for me.
I prefer in person TT play to online but due to Covid we often play online these days. I prefer a simple top down VTT, so if DnDBeyond stops supporting integration with other VTTs like Roll20 it will be a loss for me. DnDBeyond is useful for making characters and tracking them online and sharing them with DMs, but I prefer reading physical books.
If WotC start producing content that is DnDBeyond exclusive that would be disappointing.
I also think it could be bad if they limit the use of 5e content in favour of their planned evergreen OneD&D on DnDBeyond. If they make replaced 5e content legacy where you can't buy it anymore (like they have already with Volo's and Mordenkainen's), that will limit mixing and matching for people that don't already own the current content.

But if they continue to print books and allow DnDBeyond integration with Roll20 and make easy mixing and matching of 5e content with their new OneD&D content, I will be happy.