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.

 

[dave2008]

I apologize for misremembering.

No need to apologize. I was just trying to clarify whether you were talking about the VTT or the 3d VTT.

 

[dave2008]

I think that they are really only doable with some kind of AI. Draw a 2D map and the AI makes it 3d. Use some kind of natural language interface to tweak the map, perhaps add elevation. Provide the DM the ability to add custom decor (or the AI can do it).

AI may help, IDK, but it is not like you need AI to translate a 2d map to 3d.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

AI may help, IDK, but it is not like you need AI to translate a 2d map to 3d.

No but it is a lot of work in any 3d editor I have tried it in. More than I would want to bother with for an encounter map.

 

[I'm A Banana]

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.

A new MMO would be an insane thing to do in The Year Of 2025.

But, given this is a Business Talk, I'm guessing that they are absolutely thinking of some kind of live game or something that fans can pay $20-30/month for in perpetuity since subscription models are really great money factories. With Business Vision, that's what an "MMO" is. A subscription. Recurring revenue. A reason for fans to give you money every month, guaranteed.

Some suit somewhere is almost certainly asking "How much would it take to put a D&D coat of paint on Nightreign and charge monthly for it and keep it updated with new content, and can we have that that yesterday?"

 

[Dire Bare]

I think that they are really only doable with some kind of AI. Draw a 2D map and the AI makes it 3d. Use some kind of natural language interface to tweak the map, perhaps add elevation. Provide the DM the ability to add custom decor (or the AI can do it).

Or something that would work at different scales. So the party is hex crawling on a map some 100 hexes square at about 4km per hex. Enter a hex and the AI determines from a table 1 to 3 things of interest but once selected it remembers any element that is fixed in the terrain (caves, streams, hill, ruins, etc), any significant creatures in the area and in the nearby hexes.
If there is a potential encounter, then at the referee's discretion the map zooms in to determine if the one or the other side evades contact and if there is an encounter give an appropriate 3d encounter map.

I'm not an expert on the various VTTs on the market today, but . . . I do know there are already at least 2 that actually do use generative algorithms to generate 3D maps or dungeon rooms.

Dungeon Alchemist is one of them. I've played around with it, and it's kinda fun, but I've never been moved to use it over a simple 2D map interface.

 

[Dire Bare]

A new MMO would be an insane thing to do in The Year Of 2025.

But, given this is a Business Talk, I'm guessing that they are absolutely thinking of some kind of live game or something that fans can pay $20-30/month for in perpetuity since subscription models are really great money factories. With Business Vision, that's what an "MMO" is. A subscription. Recurring revenue. A reason for fans to give you money every month, guaranteed.

Some suit somewhere is almost certainly asking "How much would it take to put a D&D coat of paint on Nightreign and charge monthly for it and keep it updated with new content, and can we have that that yesterday?"

Hard disagree.

A crappy, low-effort MMO would be an insane thing to do in the year 2025, sure.

But a well-done, top-tier effort MMO . . . good games are always welcome! And IME, do well commercially.

 

[Bravesteel25]

I'm not an expert on the various VTTs on the market today, but . . . I do know there are already at least 2 that actually do use generative algorithms to generate 3D maps or dungeon rooms.

Dungeon Alchemist is one of them. I've played around with it, and it's kinda fun, but I've never been moved to use it over a simple 2D map interface.

Agreed. It just hasn't been worth the trade off, though Dungeon Alchemist is really impressive.

Another thing that 3D VTTs have to fight against is that not everyone has a computer that can even run them, even as just a player.

 

[dave2008]

No but it is a lot of work in any 3d editor I have tried it in. More than I would want to bother with for an encounter map.

I want to clarify, I am not talking about it being manually translated by a DM from 2d to 3d. My point is that a computer can make that conversion, being full automated, and it have nothing to do with AI. Computers are great at this with or without AI.

 

[Bravesteel25]

I want to clarify, I am not talking about it being manually translated by a DM from 2d to 3d. My point is that a computer can make that conversion, being full automated, and it have nothing to do with AI. Computers are great at this with or without AI.

Flattening an image, I can see that with just a normal program of some sort. I can't wrap my head around how a program would be able to do 2D to 3D without AI or a relatively healthy amount of definitions inputted by the user.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Other option could be a D&D strategy videogame style Warhammer: Total War. The player starts with a little group, this becomes a warband with a dozen of members, and later a little army. Let's remember now it is a trilogy, even adding a new army, Cathay, and Games Workshop is releasing the "old World" again.

Maybe they could produce a family-friendly cartoon based in Witchlight, but if the hired scripwritters begin to add their own ideas to the worldbuilding then.. WotC team will have to choose what changes will be included.