Wizards of the Coast Head Explains Benefits to D&D Franchise Model

The head of Wizards of the Coast believes that moving to a franchise model will allow for more alignment between D&D multimedia and the core D&D tabletop game. Recently, Wizards of the Coast president John Hight spoke with GameIndustry.biz in a wide-ranging interview about the gaming company. Much of the interview was spent on Wizards' digital gaming ambitions, but Hight did speak about the realignment of the company to a franchise model.

Under the franchise model, all D&D-related operations now run through Dan Ayoub as opposed to having different arms for entertainment, video games, and tabletop. In the interview, Hight stated that the franchise model would allow for better coordination - specifically between different aspects of the franchise. One example was the D&D movie, which had relatively limited crossover with the D&D tabletop game. "We'd love to have had a D&D book or campaign a part and parcel with the movie," he says.

He also noted that Stranger Things - which is receiving a new tie-in project next month - could be integrated more with the game. "It'd be nice to have that all lined up, so when this thing rolls out, we've got a campaign for you to enjoy that's something you saw on the show, or the characters in the show."

Additionally, Hight noted that another side to the franchise model is to fully align the digital and physical sides of play, which he hopes will lead to in-person play. "Unfortunately, because of COVID, there's a whole generation of gamers that has spent a good deal of their time playing only online," he said. "And they're re-discovering the joy of being able to play together. What I want us to be able to do is have players move fairly seamlessly between in person play and online play."

Elsewhere in the interview, Hight hinted at a new D&D MMORPG, stating that he has encouraged development of a new MMO but stopped shy of saying a project was officially in the works.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Unless we end end capitalism, that's not going to change.

That doesn't make it not a thing worth being irritated about.

 

[Micah Sweet]

if anything I would the expect the opposite to be true. A private company still serves the shareholders, that does not change, the only thing changing is that they have considerably less oversight and public reporting requirements, and probably serve their shareholders’ interests more than public companies do

Private companies are often owned by folks with a closer connection to the product being produced. Shareholders have no particular need to know much at all about the company or the product, just how much they're getting each quarter. Obviously neither of those concerns are always true, but they are concerns.

 

[mamba]

Why and how a publically-owned company chooses to increase their profits matters to me. I don't trust the motives of companies controlled by shareholders. I don't know what to tell you.

so you would trust WotC more if Elon Musk bought it, or Zuckerberg, or Jeff Bezos?

 

[mamba]

Private companies are often owned by folks with a closer connection to the product being produced.

that usually is a function of the company being smaller, not so much its shareholder structure

Shareholders have no particular need to know much at all about the company or the product, just how much they're getting each quarter.

these kinds of shareholders also do not make any of the business decisions. All they do is decide whether the return is worth their investment, the people running the company make the business decisions

 

[Micah Sweet]

so you would trust WotC more if Elon Musk bought it, or Zuckerberg, or Jeff Bezos?

No, would you? Come on, man.

 

[bedir than]

The reason I like the shift to the franchise model is because I want those D&D entertainment things to help get more people interested in the game.
I like when more people play D&D. New people add stories I can't add myself.
When the Levy project comes out I hope there's a boxed set because I will meet new people playing the games I enjoy.
When BG4 comes out I hope the tabletop version of the game adds stuff that video game does.

I don't want it for metaplot reasons.

I want the franchise model because it's a marketing system that works and I'm an evangelist for RPGs.

 

[Micah Sweet]

that usually is a function of the company being smaller, not so much its shareholder structure


these kinds of shareholders also do not make any of the business decisions. All they do is decide whether the return is worth their investment, the people running the company make the business decisions

But they don't have to know about the product or the customers in order to make those decisions. They just need to own enough of it to have a worthwhile vote. They have no built-in motivation to do anything that doesn't result in near-immediate "number goes up".

 

[mamba]

No, would you? Come on, man.

no, so give me a name of someone who 1) can afford to buy WotC (let’s just assume it is for sale, price is at least $15B) and 2) you would trust

 

[mamba]

But they don't have to know about the product or the customers in order to make those decisions. They just need to own enough of it to have a worthwhile vote.

they do not vote on business decisions, at all. They vote once a year whether they trust the leadership of the company, but that is it

 

[Micah Sweet]

no, so give me a name of someone who 1) can afford to buy WotC (let’s just assume it is for sale, price is at least $15B) and 2) you would trust

Again, the fact that I can't personally change capitalism doesn't mean I shouldn't have and express my concerns.