D&D 5E Why I Think D&DN is In Trouble

[Lokiare]

I'll see your "suit" and raise you a nearly infinite number of gaming store owners who were gamers who thought they could run a business. I'll raise you TSR - a company run by gamers who thought they could run a business.

I mean, hrmmm, we have a current lawsuit trying to get the movie rights for one of the most valuable brands in toys, D&D, from a guy whose biggest claim to fame is ... well... probably the D&D movie.

I'm sorry but D&D is not even close to being 'one of the most valuable brands in toys' that statement is laughable. Nearly every other brand in toys is worth much more. You keep conflating WotC being valuable with D&D being valuable. I'm sure MtG is insanely valuable as a brand, but D&D? not a chance.

 

[Hussar]

I'm sorry but D&D is not even close to being 'one of the most valuable brands in toys' that statement is laughable. Nearly every other brand in toys is worth much more. You keep conflating WotC being valuable with D&D being valuable. I'm sure MtG is insanely valuable as a brand, but D&D? not a chance.

A brand with a 90 some per cent recognition factor? Ask ten average people if they've ever heard of MtG and seven likely don't even know what it is. Ask the same people about D&D, and 9 of them know it's a game. That's an incredibly valuable brand.

 

[billd91]

A brand with a 90 some per cent recognition factor? Ask ten average people if they've ever heard of MtG and seven likely don't even know what it is. Ask the same people about D&D, and 9 of them know it's a game. That's an incredibly valuable brand.

I'd give you well-known. But how well can that be monetized? The brand, as a movie franchise, is tainted. The table-top games do great, but in a relatively small hobby. I'm not even sure how to rate the various electronic games - some have been good, other weak.

 

[Ahnehnois]

A brand with a 90 some per cent recognition factor? Ask ten average people if they've ever heard of MtG and seven likely don't even know what it is. Ask the same people about D&D, and 9 of them know it's a game. That's an incredibly valuable brand.

I sincerely doubt that. Many, but probably less than 90% of people have even heard the term, let alone have even the faintest idea of what it means. High brand recognition? Sure, but not even close to that high.

 

[Cadence]

I sincerely doubt that. Many, but probably less than 90% of people have even heard the term, let alone have even the faintest idea of what it means. High brand recognition? Sure, but not even close to that high.

75% brand recognition among males 18-45 according to one source I know nothing about http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/539/539197p4.html

"brand recognition" doesn't mean just positive though, does it?

 

[Ahnehnois]

"brand recognition" doesn't mean just positive though, does it?

...

There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.

Yes, D&D is a highly recognized and valuable brand (though 90% is absurd and even 75% I'm skeptical of). Yes, a substantial portion of that recognition is negative. It's still a valuable brand.

 

[Nellisir]

I'd give you well-known. But how well can that be monetized?

I wouldn't underestimate the power of a name.

The brand, as a movie franchise, is tainted.

Two words. Batsuit. Nipples.

It's been 14 years since the last D&D movie in the box office. The audience producers want to attract were, at best, infants. _We_ might know there was a D&D2; _I_ didn't even realize D&D3 was a real thing. Most people have no idea those movies exist.

The table-top games do great, but in a relatively small hobby. I'm not even sure how to rate the various electronic games - some have been good, other weak.

I could see D&D being bought by an electronics company to help develop its brand and extend the companies reach into new areas (like tabletop, for instance).

Someone did a poll of music (agents? producers? exes? something like that) people about what music artists they would most like to handle, or work with or whatever, and most of the names on the top ten list were dead. They didn't want hot new artists. They wanted dead artists, because those names were well-known. The whole issue of bringing a new name and a new "thing" to market and introducing it to the audience could be skipped right over.

 

[Hussar]

I sincerely doubt that. Many, but probably less than 90% of people have even heard the term, let alone have even the faintest idea of what it means. High brand recognition? Sure, but not even close to that high.

This isn't actually me pulling numbers out of thin air. This is straight from Wotc market research.

 

[Hussar]

Up until 2000 you couldn't make a decent Marvel movie. String of crap movies and made for TV stuff. Now Marvel is the hottest thing and they're doing it with virtually unknown properties. Iron Man? Before the movies no one knew what that was.

DnD regularly tops NYT best seller lists for novels. And has for decades. Two terrible movies but still two movies with enough cash for world wide release.

Ask anyone who makes RPG's how much it's worth to put Official DnD on the top of a book.

 

[Lokiare]

Up until 2000 you couldn't make a decent Marvel movie. String of crap movies and made for TV stuff. Now Marvel is the hottest thing and they're doing it with virtually unknown properties. Iron Man? Before the movies no one knew what that was.

DnD regularly tops NYT best seller lists for novels. And has for decades. Two terrible movies but still two movies with enough cash for world wide release.

Ask anyone who makes RPG's how much it's worth to put Official DnD on the top of a book.

Then right after that ask them how much profit they make off the D&D brand name and you'll get a very low answer, even if you count the novels. Hitting the top of a best seller list on release when there isn't really much competition doesn't mean you are selling millions of units a month.