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.

 

[mamba]

By the same token, you don't get raked over the coals EVERY SINGLE TIME for the next several years for not actually doing something. Dragging this stuff up endlessly to "prove" how evil WotC is is hardly the slam dunk some people seem to think it is.

I only brought it up because you pretended that they did us a favor out of the goodness of their hearts

Attempting to change a contract and then immediately backing off and not changing anything, only to release everything under an even better contract? My goodness, what a terrible company.

If you did not misrepresent their actions, I would not have to correct it. So next time you complain about things being brought up, maybe don’t bring them up first

And you still continue the misrepresentation here

By the same token, you don't get raked over the coals EVERY SINGLE TIME for the next several years for not actually doing something.

I am not calling them out for what they did not do, I am calling them out for what they did, even if in the end they did not achieve their goal.

The result is not the only thing that matters, that is why we punish attempted murder and not just murder.

 

[Bravesteel25]

Neverwinter Nights was used that way.

Neverending Nights

Neverending Nights - Define 'Lost'...

neverendingnights.com

It's funny, I was just thinking the other day how a game like a Neverwinter Nights 3 would be great for the brand, especially if they continued to put out content (even monetized) that allowed players to get that toolbox feeling again.

I honestly thought Sword Coast Legends was going to be an attempt at that but. . . gestures with frustration

 

[Ruin Explorer]

That's normal behavior for a business, not anything near a legal limit.

It's not mindlessly literal to use the true meaning of words, particularly when the phrase in question has little to nothing to do with the topic of switching from a Studio to Franchise model -- is that something that is "near the legal limits" to drive profit or a red herring?

It's not actually "normal behaviour for a business", it's an increasingly common but clearly degenerate behaviour used solely by large corporate entities who are publicly listed. I very much doubt WotC would do it if left to their own devices, even with the MS-background team in the c-suite. It's Hasbro doing it solely for the stock bump, and that's why it's so sweeping and stupid.

Disagree re: mindlessly literal, and the fact that you're literally changing what was said ("by any legal means" is not the same in meaning as "near the legal limits" at all) rather undermines your claim re: "true meaning" lol.

 

[SlyFlourish]

Funny you should quote that. I was talking to a friend last night and we tried to figure out what D&D would look like today if they had stuck with the annual stories and events tied to them.

The real benefit comes from building paths between expressions of D&D. I vividly remember scooping up Ruins of Adventure back in the day because it was a direct translation of the Pool of Radiance computer game. They literally had the same cover art!

That kind of tie-in is critical for growth. You can't expect new fans to puzzle out your products.

Pool of Radiance was my entry-point into D&D! I bought the 2e PHB so I could try to figure out how all those numbers worked.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I only brought it up because you pretended that they did us a favor out of the goodness of their hearts


If you did not misrepresent their actions, I would not have to correct it. So next time you complain about things being brought up, maybe don’t bring them up first

And you still continue the misrepresentation here

I am not calling them out for what they did not do, I am calling them out for what they did, even if in the end they did not achieve their goal.

The result is not the only thing that matters, that is why we punish attempted murder and not just murder.

View attachment 416628

Never has a company been better embodied by a fictional character than WotC by Sideshow Bob, I swear to god. The constant unnecessary stepping on rakes (well beyond D&D - in fact if anything they do it more with MtG!) and "attempted chemistry?" re: OGL 2.0 are perfect encapsulations of their behaviour in the the last few years.

To be fair (and I think is important to note), they haven't done either much for the last, what nearly two years? Coming up on that. So maybe they've changed their ways? Or maybe there's just been a rake shortage?

We shall see over the next few years! How they handle Dark Sun will be particularly interesting in the near-term.

 

[The_Baldman]

Everything Baldman and Pastimes done is at a tactical "on the ground" level. And if I was WotC, I would continue to be clear to those partners that the value they are delivering to their respective imprints was huge, and thank you.

Thanks. Feeling the love on a Tuesday morning of never-ending staff meetings. D&D is so much more fun then this.

 

[bedir than]

It's not actually "normal behaviour for a business", it's an increasingly common but clearly degenerate behaviour used solely by large corporate entities who are publicly listed. I very much doubt WotC would do it if left to their own devices, even with the MS-background team in the c-suite. It's Hasbro doing it solely for the stock bump, and that's why it's so sweeping and stupid.

Disagree re: mindlessly literal, and the fact that you're literally changing what was said ("by any legal means" is not the same in meaning as "near the legal limits" at all) rather undermines your claim re: "true meaning" lol.

And what do the harms of capitalism have to do with moving from a Studio to Franchise model?

Why is every discussion about D&D now a demand that capitalism ends?

 

[mearls]

For people wondering about WotC's attitude toward third party publishers, my experience working with them to bring Cthulhu by Torchlight to D&D Beyond was amazing. They were very easy to work with, supportive, transparent, and had great feedback every step of the way.

Every third party publisher I have talked to has had similar experiences.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Are there machinima of Baldur Gate 3?

Let's remember the MMO Transformers: Reactivated was cancelled and this is a more famous and popular franchise. The videogames are an industry that moves a lot of money but it also demands a lot of work and time.

I suspect future choices about cinematographic projects will arrive after the reaction by the audience about upcoming Forgotten-Realms action-live production. Netflix could dare to produce a D&D anime.

We know nothing about possible future D&D comics by Skybound. A "Walking-Dead-Ravenloft" crossover maybe? Or some other crossover with any indie horror saga.

A romantasy novel of Birthright: Cerilia? Here the risk is the hired writter altering the worldbuilding for her own plot.

 

[ValamirCleaver]

Pool of Radiance was my entry-point into D&D! I bought the 2e PHB so I could try to figure out how all those numbers worked.

My memory is a little hazy on this on this because it was over a couple of decades ago, but didn't the original releases of Baldur's Gate 2 & Nevewinter Nights (2002) have relatively thick, spiral-bound manuals that included an extensive Players Handbook section?