Survey: RPG play up 37% since pandemic, interest in D&D up 85%

[R_Chance]

Interesting bit about in-person importance. I'd guess the pandemic increased the value people place on in-person interaction.

 

[Hussar]

Wizards of the Coast showing 46.1% revenue increase from 2020 to 2022

Holy crap.

That's... insane. Let's not forget, WotC wasn't exactly losing business prior to 2020 either . I realize that includes Magic, of course. But. Still. O.O

 

[Morrus]

Curious that the responses in the first chart add up to a little over 52%. What about the other +/- 48%? Were there other response choices to the question, or did they not reply at all?

I’d guess “About the same” would be a big chunk.

 

[Ibrandul]

Curious that the responses in the first chart add up to a little over 52%. What about the other +/- 48%? Were there other response choices to the question, or did they not reply at all?

The numbers don’t add up to 100% because people are sleeping, eating, maybe watching TV. A little less of respondents said they are spending 6.9% of their free time on tabletop games. A little more of respondents said they are spending 25.5% of their free time on them. And so on. It’s a very beautiful bar graph.

 

[kenmarable]

Also, I'm confused about their claim that WotC revenue increased by 46% since 2020 when their chart definitely does NOT show that (unless there was a massive drop between 2019 and 2020, which I doubt). There was a 46% increase from 2016 to 2022, which is still impressive but tracks much more to 5e's increase than the pandemic influence. (I'm not familiar with MtG to know what it was doing during that time.)

So WotC increased revenue about 3% during the pandemic, not 46% - at least according to their own chart unless I missing something.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Wizards of the Coast showing 46.1% revenue increase from 2020 to 2022

Yeah, the article does say that, but then it also shows a chart with this revenue progression:

2014: $761.2m
2016: $906.7m (+19.1% since 2014)
2019: $1,286.6m (+41.9% since 2016)
2022: $1,325.1m (+3.0% since 2019)

So... what?

It's particularly misleading because inflation has been high since 2020. 3% is a flatline, if not a decline.

 

[Lanefan]

Interesting bit about in-person importance. I'd guess the pandemic increased the value people place on in-person interaction.

The value was always there. The pandemic just made us pay attention to it.

 

[R_Chance]

Yeah, the article does say that, but then it also shows a chart with this revenue progression:

2014: $761.2m
2016: $906.7m (+19.1% since 2014)
2019: $1,286.6m (+41.9% since 2016)
2022: $1,325.1m (+3.0% since 2019)

So... what?

It's particularly misleading because inflation has been high since 2020. 3% is a flatline, if not a decline.

Unless they raised their prices the inflation rate isn't a big deal. They sold more books at the same price point they had before the pandemic. I know the 5E books didn't go up. I don't know about Magic prices though.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah, the article does say that, but then it also shows a chart with this revenue progression:

2014: $761.2m
2016: $906.7m (+19.1% since 2014)
2019: $1,286.6m (+41.9% since 2016)
2022: $1,325.1m (+3.0% since 2019)

So... what?

It's particularly misleading because inflation has been high since 2020. 3% is a flatline, if not a decline.

Feels like there is some miscommunication along the way here: latest number O could find was that D&D, specifically, was up big in Q1 2023 over Q1 2022, so they might talking D&D specifically, not WotC as a whole.

 

[aramis erak]

My group met during the pandemic, but at one of the player's houses, instead of the store. Kept us all sane. While most of the group did eventually get covid, it wasn't during the lockdown.