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 earnings 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.

 

[ersatzphil]

Really? I actually find that hard to believe. Probably more like, a few, very outspoken people, are mad at the OGL saga.

I mean, I get it. It was a big deal. But there are few places on the internet more seeped in D&D than ENWorld. And I haven't seen one post about it in ages.

Speaking as someone who remains bigmad about the OGL, it’s not like there are new updates to discuss.

 

[Dire Bare]

I am not stating that D&D 5E is not the 800 lb gorilla, that is just logical common sense. Tis rather simple my ursine friend, I am stating that more people have left WotC and 5E behind than the tiny .02% pittance that Scott Christian tried to claim, between the OGL fiasco, the Pinkertons, Spelljammer, the edition change, and even those who dont like what "modern D&D" entails (regardless of whether such is with or without merit). I am also stating that the non-5E RPG scene is healthy, vibrant, and thriving, which Scott tried to insinuate was not the case. I then suggested they visit other locales within the RPG scene, which will paint a different picture and expand their horizons.

Got it. Sorry I misunderstood.

But neither of you know the numbers of folks who have decided to leave D&D 5E for another game. Certainly people have, but listening to folks kvetch on online forums is anecdotal at best.

I agree that the communities for other games are healthy, vibrant, and thriving, if they are much smaller than the community playing 5E. Lots of great games being actively supported by publishers and played by gamers today, it's a beautiful thing.

 

[Azzy]

Wow. Two people have now posted that ENworld is the current Headquarters of We-Love-WotC-Inc.

There are people that for one reason or another (whether rational or irrational) hate wotc and/or current D&D and they just can't conceive that there are people different from themselves that actually like the current game. So to them, anyone that likes the current game is engaged in badwrongun and must be corporate shills or whatever and are obviously wrong and must be told so. Never mind the fact that this section of this very forum is about discussing the current D&D version and that if they wanted to discuss their favorite game, there are different sections of this forum and other forums in which to do so without trying to make everyone as miserable as they seem to be. If they want more people to play the games that they personally like, they're going about it the wrong way and instead push people away.

 

[Scott Christian]

I am not stating that D&D 5E is not the 800 lb gorilla, that is just logical common sense. Tis rather simple my ursine friend, I am stating that more people have left WotC and 5E behind than the tiny .02% pittance that Scott Christian tried to claim, between the OGL fiasco, the Pinkertons, Spelljammer, the edition change, and even those who dont like what "modern D&D" entails (regardless of whether such is with or without merit). I am also stating that the non-5E RPG scene is healthy, vibrant, and thriving, which Scott tried to insinuate was not the case. I then suggested they visit other locales within the RPG scene, which will paint a different picture and expand their horizons.

I never implied the alternate scene was not vibrant. I didn't even imply it wasn't growing. I assume the more people you have playing games, the more you will have playing all types of games. And, hold onto your boots, I am happy and excited for it!

Here is what you said:

In this I was actually speaking regarding irl. As far as new posts go, well there's not really much more to discuss in that realm, and these are people who left 5E specific behind, so it wouldn't surprise be as many of those who are not fond have just left. And its not every one, but after speaking on their dislike of WotC, its not uncommon for them to begin singing the praises of Pathfinder 2E, or less commonly, a PBTA game. If you are looking to seek out online spaces where you might encounter this, r/rpg would probably be a good place to begin your search.

I replied by asking how many left? 1%. 2%. Then I made a joke about 1% leaving for Daggerheart, and then most returned back to D&D. The numbers do not affect the community, nor does it affect the business. Small numbers equal small consequences. To which you replied:

This is a rather myopic viewpoint, I suggest expanding your horizons. There is a vast RPG world out there that is not 5E, or even 5E adjacent.

To which I replied:

I'm sorry. I am a bit confused. I was replying to your post about people leaving, and as they leave, they spout their dislike of D&D and praise other games. That's all true, but my point was the number is so small it means very little from a community and business perspective.

Then I went on to list a lot of other games I play. You took the smallest snippet of my quote, citing "the number is so small" and replied:

You have no way of accurately ascertaining this.

To which I stated for you to look around. You literally start your reply with -

I am not stating that D&D 5E is not the 800 lb gorilla, that is just logical common sense.

You're right. It is common sense. Which is exactly what I said. And I also said that the people who are mad at the PGL and go off and praise other games representing very little in the realm of TTRPGs. Very little. That's all I said. They may be loud and post a lot, but they are a drop of water in a 5-gallon bucket when it comes to the community and market shares.