How big's the RPG market?

How big is the RPG market? Pretty damn tiny, is the answer. As of 2016/2017 it's about $35m in size, according to ICv2. That's of a Hobby Games market currently worth just over a billion dollars. The RPG segment is a mere 2.9% of the overall Hobby Games market, which includes boardgames, miniatures, hobby card games, and collectible games. Of course, the competition for RPGs isn't just boardgames or card games, it's entertainment; and on that scale, the RPG market is a tiny niche of the Hobby Games market, which is a tiny niche of the global entertainment market. Note that these figures are US and Canada only, and include Kickstarter sales.

UPDATE: the below $1.19B figure has since been revised upwards by ICv2 to $1.4B in 2017, with an RPG segment of $45M.

The hobby games market as a whole is the size of one major movie blockbuster. The global film industry market was 38.3 billion in 2015. Putting that into perspective:

The video game industry is even bigger, at $91B in 2016.

However, the entire hobby games market is growing year on year. Just look at the latest stats: the market has grown from $700M in 2013 to $1.19B in 2016/2017. Of that, RPGs have more than doubled in size, from $15M to $35M. Boardgames have over tripled in size. There is definitely a tabletop boom going on right now, powered by a number of factors ranging from Kickstarter, to the introduction of US West Coast media (shows like Tabletop and outlets like Geek & Sundry have helped to mainstream tabletop gaming), and more.

Data from ICv2 and other sources.

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[Charon'sLittleHelper]

The irony is that the RPG and Comic Book markets are the markets that drive the creative fuel of the film and computer game markets, yet see the least return; but then, that's all of life.

I think that's largely due to the cost/risk involved.

Coming out with a new TTRPG, novel, or comic book costs a few thousand dollars.

Coming out with even a AA video game or movie costs millions.

Therefore movies & video games don't want to take major risks when other media can. Hence their wanting to re-use premises from other media which are already proven to be solid. Sure - they're gaining something of a fan base, but it's moreso because it's been proven in the cheaper media already.

It's not really surprising. It's just good business. (And it's why indie films CAN take bigger risks, though frankly, many suck in ways that has nothing to do with their lower budgets.)

 

[The_Gunslinger658]

I went to my local game shop yesterday and bought Tales from the Yawning Portal, $55.00 bucks it costed me. Sure I could have gone on ebay and got it for half of that but I want to help my local game store. Still, that is expensive and how these places survive is beyond me.

 

[jmucchiello]

Not sure this relates, but I always like to compare the RPG market to the market for things like soccer goal nets. There is definitely a market for soccer goal nets. But the number of people playing soccer is not directly related to sales of soccer goal nets. Many people play soccer for decades and never even consider buying a soccer goal net.

 

[GameDaddy]

Pretty tiny, is the answer. As of 2016/2017 it's about $35m in size, according to ICv2. That's of a Hobby Games market currently worth just over a billion dollars.

This is the most BS thing I have ever seen you post here. Please stop, unless you care to do real research, ICv 2 is full of you know what...

Just to start, the last time I tracked revenues for WOTC RPGs which was in the early 2000s. D&D 3e alone was netting more than $35M annually for WOTC in the United States. Now there were a few years during the 4e era where net revenues dropped, but on the whole, revenues have been increasing for hobby gaming and specifically for RPGs and collectible card games by an average of 7-10% per year. That would mean D&D should be netting somewhere in the neighborhood of around $70 Million a year right now, and I would not be surprised to see that figure significantly higher with foreign and overseas sales included.

A quick check with the Dun & Bradstreet Hoover report indicates that in 2016 Wizards of the Coast generated over $295 Million Dollars in revenues, now that income estimate is for both D&D as well as Magic:the Gathering, and whatever else WOTC may be hawking, but I'm pretty sure that $70 Million would not be an unreasonable figure out of that just for D&D 5e sales.

Then there is all the other "RPG Gaming" companies. Paizo, Warhammer, Steve Jackson Games, Modiphus, Catalyst Game Labs... and so many more. Do you really think that Paizo makes less than $5 million a year when they have been the #1 RPG sales company for the last three years running, really? So hobby gaming is much larger than anything ICv would admit to, mostly on account ICv is a mouthpiece for, and wants to hawk video games and support the movie industry franchises (Which still despises the hobby gaming Industry in general and the RPG gaming Industry in particular) games over anything the home-brewed hobby industry. ...and these are just the American Game companies I'm talking about. pls do more research before posting unsubstantiated claims like this on your own message boards.

Hobby Gaming has been growing again by extraordinary leaps and bounds over the last few years...

D&B Hoover Report on WOTC 2016 link
http://www.hoovers.com/company-info...izards_of_the_coast_llc.3b95001d3cb27d0c.html

Hasbro 2017 10k filing with the SEC confirming 10% growth for Hobby Games
https://www.last10k.com/sec-filings/has/0001193125-17-052143.htm#fullReport

Marketwatch report on Hasbro 2017
http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/has/financials

 

[Morrus]

This is the most BS thing I have ever seen you post here. Please stop

I think you may be confused. You appear to be under the bizarre impression that you’re the boss of me.

Just to start, the last time I tracked revenues for WOTC RPGs which was in the early 2000s. D&D 3e alone was netting more than $35M annually for WOTC in the United States.

Cite? Why should I believe your tracking over ICv2s?

the last time I tracked revenues for WOTC RPGs which was in the early 2000s.

It will need to be a lot more recent than that.

 

[LordEntrails]

[MENTION=80711]GameDaddy[/MENTION],
Have you ever heard the saying that starts "You catch more flies..."?

Starting off so incredibly insulting is not the way to make your point. If someone can throw out or completely ignore your first two paragraphs, you actually start to say something worthwhile and give some reasonable support for it.

Now if you want to actually be helpful and not act like a troll, you could actually take that data you cite and put it into graphs, numbers, charts or other format for those of use without an understanding of financial statements that presents it in a factual, simplified, and useful for this audience manner.

 

[Hussar]

Umm, Paizo has been number one for the past three years? Did I read that right? Where is that from? As I understand it, the only time Paizo pulled ahead of WotC was the tail end of 4e and then when WotC spent two years not putting out any books at all.

I don't think I buy that Paizo is selling better than WotC.

 

[The_Gunslinger658]

I think with 4E sucking so bad, Paizo was able to out sell WoTC during the bad days of 4E. I know I quit playing when 4E came out, that was not D&D, I wonder how many others quit because that really affected WoTC to the point that 4E must have been the shortest lived edition in D&D history.

Umm, Paizo has been number one for the past three years? Did I read that right? Where is that from? As I understand it, the only time Paizo pulled ahead of WotC was the tail end of 4e and then when WotC spent two years not putting out any books at all.

I don't think I buy that Paizo is selling better than WotC.

 

[Joseph Nardo]

What is really fascinating is that the global "games" market which includes everything that is considered gaming has eclipsed $24 billion!. It has even surpassed the global market for box office movies!!!!.

 

[GameDaddy]

I think you may be confused. You appear to be under the bizarre impression that you’re the boss of me.

Uhhhmm. no, not the boss of you, just displeased that you would not do proper research before estimating the size of the RPG Industry.

Cite? Why should I believe your tracking over ICv2s?

Already provided. D&B Says WOTC earned somewhere in the neighborhood of $295 Million in 2016. That's D&D, Magic, Everything else. Magic is still #1 of course. I have seen D&D 5e in every book and game store still around. That means it's probably #2. What makes you think WOTC would be earning less than they did in 2003-2005? ...and we are not even looking at the other big RPG companies. green Ronin, SJG Games. Games Workshop.


Ooooh... check this out. Earning report for Games Workshop alone from June-November of 2016 - 13.8 Million pounds AFTER EXPENSES, which is something like $17.6 Million dollars at current exchange rates, they alone are earning almost $40 million a year AFTER EXPENSES. WOTC is still bigger than them. What does that make your ridiculous claim.

Games Workshop Earning Report 2016 (1/2 year report)
https://19485-presscdn-0-14-pagely....ads/2017/01/2016-17-Press-Statement-final.pdf

It will need to be a lot more recent than that.

Why are you pretending the established RPG companies are not making any money?

You can still redeem yourself by being a man, and fessing up, and then go do some real research and report back on your website with some semblance of truth, instead of the absolutely ridiculous claim you started this thread with.