Critical Role Wildemount: Most Pre-orders Since D&D Core Rulebooks

It seems that the most popular D&D setting in the 5E era is... Wildemount! Talking about the upcoming Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, WotC's Greg Tito said on a Twitch stream recently that "we're pretty sure that this book has seen the most pre-orders and pre-release excitement since any of the core rulebooks for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition were released".

Here's the quote in full:

"...It was number 1, ranked number 1, for all books on Amazon. How many of you out there remember when Amazon was just selling books? Raise your hands. Yeah, that's me. So it's really cool, even though obviously I do a lot more other fun stuff right now, there is a ton out there that are excited for this book, and it isn't even out yet.

"We have little bit of an internal metrics, but we're pretty sure that this book has seen the most pre-orders and pre-release excitement since any of the core rulebooks for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition were released, and if you've been following along at home, Dungeons & Dragons has been selling like hotcakes since 5th Edition released in 2014."

It sounds like the Critical Role setting is proving more popular (at least right now) than traditional D&D settings like Ravenloft or Eberron, newer ones like Ravnica, or adventures set in the Forgotten Realms.

Explorer's Guide to Wildemount will hit game stores on March 17th.

 

[Morrus]

Well, for cash plus stock, naturally! Then they can go off and create another IP money generator, or simply sit back and count their money.

My point is: selling the IP could just mean someone else steers and cranks the handle, it doesn’t stop them benefiting from the success of the IP.

It's growing right now. Amazon show is in production. It's all up from here. Critical Role is a perfect storm; there's no guarantee they could do that again. They could likely make far more by continuing to license it than they would by selling it. What if the show takes off massively, and people approach them about a movie? Or a video game? (Or maybe they already have). All this is bigger fry than an RPG setting book.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Well that seems to be true. Amazon has commissioned a Critical Role series, not a D&D series.

That was Critical Role's initiative though. They crowdfunded and then Amazon commissioned. Hasbro were not involved.

 

[Morrus]

That was Critical Role's initiative though. They crowdfunded and then Amazon commissioned. Hasbro were not involved.

I didn't mention Hasbro. Hasbro has nothing to do with it.

 

[OB1]

Yup, it's very popular, which is very cool. Seems like those CR fans buy books after all.

Also worth noting that the PHB has moved up to #47 from the mid 60s.

I'm guessing one of the indicators that WoTC looks at with each new release is how it affects sales of the Core 3, as that is an sign that the current book is bringing in new players with it.

This in turn helps ensure that the Average Lifetime Value of a new customer is greater than the cost of acquiring a new player. And as long as that metric remains positive, WoTC gets to keep publishing D&D books for us

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I didn't mention Hasbro. Hasbro has nothing to do with it.

Indeed. But if Hasbro had made the first move it might have been D&D instead of CR.

 

[Morrus]

Indeed. But if Hasbro had made the first move it might have been D&D instead of CR.

I've no insight into Hasbro's media licensing practices, but I'd be amazed if they weren't constantly making first moves on stuff like this. It's not like they don't know how; there are TV shows and movies based on plenty of Hasbro toy properties. That said, the D&D movie/TV rights are a little messier. Dragonlance, on the other hand, might be easier.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It might be a little late for Dragonlance (unless WotC cast Raise Franchise).

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Same. My first exposure to Amazon.com was in grad school, when we were just directed to Amazon to buy the textbooks for a class. At the time, I was heartily annoyed I couldn't just get them from the school book store. But undoubtedly, it was cheaper.

It wouldn't have surprised me that Wildemount is the top RPG book on pre-orders alone, but the top book period, that does. I knew the Critical Role fandom was big, but that big, dang!

"How many of you out there remember when Amazon was just selling books? Raise your hands. Yeah, that's me.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

We shouldn't discount the significance of Amazon in the increased popularity of D&D - it used to be unless you where in reach of a major city there was nowhere that sold the books.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I can't imagine why CR would sell. It's a goldmine. $11M Kickstarters, Amazon shows, WotC licensing their IP for a book.

I'd half expect that CR would release their own RPG called Critical Role, which would at least be one of the biggest RPGs in the hobby, but I guess the money in that doesn't likely compare to the money in TV shows and the like.

Critical Role could buy D&D from Hasbro...