Wizards of the Coast Re-Registers Dark Sun With USPTO

Wizards of the Coast recently filed an application to register Dark Sun in the US, a sign that D&D could be bringing back the campaign setting in the near future. The trademark claim was filed on October 13th, 2025 and is poised to replace a previous trademark that was cancelled by the USPTO in 2024. The trademark, like most involving D&D properties, covers both "downloadable electronic games," "games and playthings," and "entertainment services." Similar active trademarks exist for other D&D campaign settings such as Spelljammer and Forgotten Realms, although neither of those have lapsed in recent years.

We'll note that, as the previous Dark Sun trademark lapsed a year ago, this could be a case of simple paperwork, or it could be the latest sign that a Dark Sun product is eminent. Earlier this year, Wizards released an Unearthed Arcana for the Psion class and several subclasses that all but spelled out a return to the setting, complete with mentions of sorcerer-kings, gladiatorial fights, and preservers and defilers.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

A full blood and gore BG3 book would have a far larger target market than fluffy bunnies D&D edition

It’s not only kids who like fluffy bunnies. I would say that kids over 6 are very unlikely to like fluffy bunnies.

 

[Zardnaar]

It’s not only kids who like fluffy bunnies. I would say that kids over 6 are very unlikely to like fluffy bunnies.

Om saying that it doesn't have to be fluffy bunnies all the time.

We'll see what they'll do. Hope they don't Spelljammer it up.

 

[nevin]

Can’t wait to see the new info about the loving city where everyone of any species is welcome. The art will be great. People in rags holding hands while kids play in the sand covered streets. A cannibal halfling being served a freshly cut arm at an outdoor diner nearby. A wizard draining the life out of a potted plant to make fireworks for an in-awe crowd of onlookers.

to be fair the cannibal halfling stuff is what killed the fledging Dark Sun last time. (Que the it's not cannibals if they are eating humans they developed from thier own DNA). Hopefully they learned the lesson of taking stuff too far from that. But yeah there are reason's Dark Sun wasn't a huge success in the fantasy genre.. And this is from a guy who loved it. It makes better Scifi than fantasy.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

How can I give my opinion without causing problems? Because sometimes I think I've said something right according to my conscience, but someone is upset by my comment.

I guess the story can show scene where the bad guys do horrible things, but the DMs should allow reasonable chances that the villains will be punished by the heroes. And there is a very serious reason for this, and that is to prevent players from suffering from "learned helplessness". Some players love dark stories but others don't feel confortable playing a dark fantasy where they can't save innocents who need help because they could be "punished by the DM". D&D is about heroism, although some times this means some sacrifice. The players should can enjoy to be the heroes who defeat the evil lord and save the realm.
Even in Ravenloft that may be the darkest setting the injustice against innocents it's not so easy to get away with it forever without a punishment or painful consequences.

* I have got an idea for an Athasian variant of the shardmind specie. These are living constructs but they need "something" that to be supplied by their masters (for example some special oil). Their origin is ordinary humanoids who (relatively) willing accepted to be converted into something like magitek cyborgs. They look like humans with some cristaline scales on the skins. They keep their free will but usually enslaved by debt. It is possible to earn their freedom fighting as mercenaries and it has happened more once. They can be gladiators because with some little tricks they can fake their deaths in the arena.

* Maybe the intention is a generic sourcebook with only some pages about the region of Tyr, but DS would be unlocked in DM Guild. This should avoid troubles about "this is not my DS".

* The "Grey" should allow opportunities for adventures, something like "liminal horror in the Hyrborean age". Maybe there is some post-apocaliptic version of the "garden of the gods" that was destroyed in the war between the deities and the primal forces.. or "shards" of celestial planes that were conquered by fiends becoming demiplanes

 

[Reynard]

How did Dark Sun fare in the 4E era?

 

[bedir than]

Iirc with wotc own numbers its a similar amout around 25% combined (kids and over 40).

Actual data by generation doesn't match up with your memory (but it's also not quite 'by age' data)

https://www.geekwire.com/2023/dungeons-dragons-in-2023-wizards-of-the-coast-reveals-planescape-revival-and-more/

 

[Morrus]

A bunch more are just generating slop with Chat GPT and posting it verbatim to the Guild.

I’ve never used DM’s Guild—how bad is it?

 

[Parmandur]

12-18 are more common than 40+ by far
Additionally, plenty of D&D players on social media think that respecting the rights and traditions of others is possible in D&D. They run the largest APs even.
Respect isn't a puritan ideal.

Slavery is present in every "era" of WotC D&D. There's no new direction.

It is so bizarre to me that people are fixated on the loomong threat of WotC not depicting slavery...when they continue to include slavery as bad guys behavior year after year.

 

[Parmandur]

They did. I think they're okay with including slavery as a concept, when it comes to villains, but I think an earlier suggestion in this thread is correct: There won't (likely) be things like "Escaped Slave" as a Background, or an adventure where you start as a slave. Of course, everyone would be free to use those stories in their home games, as usual.

Edit: I don't mean that those stories are usual, I mean that you can usually use whatever stories you like in your home games. It's probably clear, but y'know. Internet communication.

I reckon any product will follow 4Es exa.ple, and have the base of operations the newly Free City of Tyr.

 

[Parmandur]

How did Dark Sun fare in the 4E era?

Really hard to say: reviews were good, but it released just as the wheels came off of the 4E business model.