D&D General WotC Continues D&D's Advance To Digital First Brand

It's been apparent for some time that Dungeons & Dragons is moving towards a digital-first brand, centered around D&D Beyond, accompanied by a larger a shift into IP and lifestyle property.

D&D has had cartoons, toys, comics, and so on for decades, so this is not new, but the focus on these IP-based licenses appears to be gowing.

In Hasbro's latest earnings call, CEO Chris Cocks notes that the company -- by which he is referring to Hasbro, WotC, and their digital studio teams -- "delighted more than 1 billion kids, families and fans, secured partnerships that further underwrite future growth, advanced our evolution to a digital-first play and IP company and delivered record profits for our shareholders."

As we enter 2026, we view playing to Win and more importantly, the execution behind it by our Hasbro, Wizards of the Coast and digital studio teams as a clear success. Despite market volatility and a shift in consumer environment, we returned this company to growth in a meaningful way. We delighted more than 1 billion kids, families and fans, secured partnerships that further underwrite future growth, advanced our evolution to a digital-first play and IP company and delivered record profits for our shareholders.

As previously mentioned, this isn't really new information, but it is informative to see it clearly laid out by Hasbro's CEO. In the last couple of years, the company has had massive success with Baldur's Gate 3, and critical (if not commercial) success with the movie Honor Amongst Thieves. At least two D&D TV shows are currently in development--one from HBO as a sequel to Baldur's Gate 3, and another from Netflix, also set in the Forgotten Realms. In the eanrings call, Cocks notes that they have "top-tier creative partners across more than 60 active entertainment projects."

Digital sales currently make up 60% of D&D's revenue. With digital-exclusive expansions being sold on D&D Beyond, a robust virtual tabletop integration, and the bringing in of the larger third-party D&D content creators as partnered content, D&D's move towards digital-first is well underway. While there is no indication that the physical books will go away, they are slowly becoming secondary or collector's items rather than the primary product.

 

[TheSword]

I don't see how using Do Not Disturb mode is excercising willpower. Is it the willpower to turn it on? It has to be because after turning it on there's no willpower involved - the DND mode is doing it for you. Unless the willpower is also in resisting the urge to turn it off?

Regardless, saying it's a matter of willpower makes it sound reductive and judgmental - like not using DND mode or not resisting the urge to check your phone is a character flaw.

I think it was a pun… DND… for D&D.

 

[Dire Bare]

I don't see how using Do Not Disturb mode is excercising willpower. Is it the willpower to turn it on? It has to be because after turning it on there's no willpower involved - the DND mode is doing it for you. Unless the willpower is also in resisting the urge to turn it off?

Regardless, saying it's a matter of willpower makes it sound reductive and judgmental - like not using DND mode or not resisting the urge to check your phone is a character flaw.

You're overthinking things, I think.

Most folks (IME) don't use do-not-disturb mode on their phones and the pings and beeps as messages come in can be distracting for all at the table. It does take a bit of willpower to consciously use that DnD mode.

Of course, even with DnD mode on, it's super easy to start browsing the web or social media when it's Bob's turn and not yours . . .

Using airplane mode would prevent most browsing and social media . . . and even more willpower to use it during a game.

It's not reductive and judgmental, it's not a character flaw, it's just how most of us are wired.

 

[ART!]

You're overthinking things, I think.

Most folks (IME) don't use do-not-disturb mode on their phones and the pings and beeps as messages come in can be distracting for all at the table. It does take a bit of willpower to consciously use that DnD mode.

Of course, even with DnD mode on, it's super easy to start browsing the web or social media when it's Bob's turn and not yours . . .

Using airplane mode would prevent most browsing and social media . . . and even more willpower to use it during a game.

It's not reductive and judgmental, it's not a character flaw, it's just how most of us are wired.

I appreciate the thoughts and analysis.

I would counter that for neurodivergent folks such as myself it is not that simple. If I turn on do-not-disturb or airplane mode, will I remember to turn it off? Will I remember to set a timer to remind myself to turn it off? Will I set the mode to turn itself off, or will something happen to distract me before I can do that? Etcetera.

 

[Dire Bare]

I appreciate the thoughts and analysis.

I would counter that for neurodivergent folks such as myself it is not that simple. If I turn on do-not-disturb or airplane mode, will I remember to turn it off? Will I remember to set a timer to remind myself to turn it off? Will I set the mode to turn itself off, or will something happen to distract me before I can do that? Etcetera.

Perhaps.

I am not neurodivergent myself (well, probably), but . . . often forget to take my phone out of DnD or airplane mode and then wonder why I'm not getting any messages or can't access the internet . . . but the fix is easy, once I realize I've still got that mode turned on.

How exactly you can set each mode varies by phone and operating system. I just got a new Google Pixel 9a, and the options on DnD mode are superior to what I had on my older phone. I can set it up to go back to normal mode after a certain time.

And again, NOT using DnD or airplane mode isn't a problem . . . it's just a tool to help the player focus and not disrupt the game. Not everyone will need that tool, or want to use it.

Even if players aren't using their phones for character sheets, rules look-up, or dice rolling, most of us have our phones at the table anyway.

 

[TheSword]

I appreciate the thoughts and analysis.

I would counter that for neurodivergent folks such as myself it is not that simple. If I turn on do-not-disturb or airplane mode, will I remember to turn it off? Will I remember to set a timer to remind myself to turn it off? Will I set the mode to turn itself off, or will something happen to distract me before I can do that? Etcetera.

I guess my response would be if you forget, will the world really stop turning.

I put DnD on when I’m using my phone for Teams calls. I regularly forget to take it off. Not once has that been a sad thing for me. The messages are there waiting for me, next time I look at it.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

Regardless, saying it's a matter of willpower makes it sound reductive and judgmental - like not using DND mode or not resisting the urge to check your phone is a character flaw.

Not resisting the urge to check your phone isn't a character flaw, complaining to others about your inability to stop checking your phone and expecting the world to facilitate that for you absolutely is.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

I guess my response would be if you forget, will the world really stop turning.

I put DnD on when I’m using my phone for Teams calls. I regularly forget to take it off. Not once has that been a sad thing for me. The messages are there waiting for me, next time I look at it.

Also true; if anything was actually important, they'd call twice in a row to let me know it was an emergency. If it was a work related emergency, I'd see it the next time I sat down at my work PC.

 

[Rainbow Scissors]

My group uses a few digital tools for prep and helping to organize things.

I like the concept of D&D Beyond, but the implementation and structure of it is currently bit too much like Apple's walled garden approach without enough consistent benefit to balance that out for my own tastes. It's not a bad idea. In its current state, it just is not a product that best suits my needs.

 

[MGibster]

I’d be concerned that over time this changes the game in ways that make it less viable to play without digital tools. So that rather than digital tools supplementing a primarily analogue experience (which I’m fine with) they begin to become part of the core experience itself.

WotC has wanted to create a walled garden from which they can control the D&D experience for a number of years now. In my current Greyhawk campaign, it's just me and one player who isn't using D&D Beyond, and I don't particularly care for watching players take forever to find character information on their phones or roll dice. It's just one more thing to drive me away from D&D.

I don't say that with any sense of bitterness. I learned many, many years ago that the world doesn't revolve around me, and I expect WotC to do what's best for the company and produce what they think their customers want. I wish them well.

 

[laethyn]

And they should bring back their novel publishing under ebooks. Let third parties like penguin handle physical copies for the bigger names