WotC Replies: Statements by WotC employees regarding Dragon/Dungeon going online

[Henrix]

You still are not going to make up enough difference to turn 1% into a really significant amount.

But in that case, why ever produce any of all those books that sell significantly less than 50 000 copies?

The five million players are not five million buyers.

 

[Mark CMG]

I'm guessing here.....

But I'd wager that the vast number of people forking over $10 a month to play internet required WoW is a significant factor in making WotC conclude that a viable on-line access community is out there. A tiny fraction of the WoW base would be a gold mine.

Any idea how big that community actually is?

 

[haakon1]

That's a bit less than 1% of the known D&D community (active player base of 5 million).

According to Newsweek, in 1984, there were 4 million players.

That was the height of D&D's popularity, when D&D could appear in movies (ET) without being a joke about nerds, and when it was a big enough cultural phenomenon to be researched by a major news organization.

In the decades since, the closest we've gotten to anyone carrying about our existence beyond D&D being shorthand for nerds would be the 30th anniversary NPR coverage. NPR emphasized how fun it is that some people STILL play after all these decades that the public thought it had died . . .

So 5 million players? I'm thinking that's 2-4 times too high.

 

[haakon1]

But presumably a lot higher percantage of the part of the community that really buys things - apart from the occasional PHB.

Nod, of the 18 people in the 3 gaming groups I'm in, only 5 are actually "customers".

 

[Gentlegamer]

Their statement in Dragon #351 says:
41,772 (13,517 from subs) for the most recent issue.
47,220 (13,438 from subs) average for the last 12 months.

Wow! In my hayday of Dragon readership, the publication statements were in the 120,000-150,000 range, and this was the 2e era when so many "left AD&D for other games."

 

[Crothian]

Wow! In my hayday of Dragon readership, the publication statements were in the 120,000-150,000 range, and this was the 2e era when so many "left AD&D for other games."

Oddly enough though I know people and was one of them that left D&D but still got the magazines. It was the best way to stay informed before the internet exploded with gaming.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

But I'd wager that the vast number of people forking over $10 a month to play internet required WoW is a significant factor in making WotC conclude that a viable on-line access community is out there. A tiny fraction of the WoW base would be a gold mine.

Apples and oranges. WoW and other MMORPGS provide a completely different form of entertainment than a magazine does. I'd be pretty skeptical of any research demonstrating any sort of causal relationship between the two, and would think that any marketing decisions on such information should be considered suspect. IMO, of course.

 

[Sholari]

Not going to happen. Only 1% of D&D players bought these magazines to begin with, and a significant minority of even that 1% are somewhat okay with this decision. Boycotting won't work, because the overwhelming majority of players don't have the stake you have in those magazines. They just don't feel as strongly about it as you do.

Consider that the subscriber base of Dungeon is comprised mostly of dungeon masters. Each dungeon master has group of maybe 4-6 people on average. Also consider the influence that subcribers of Dungeon magazine have on the market... these aren't your average players... many are influential loyalists that may own gaming stores, may volunteer time for Gencon, etc. that are very irate.

 

[Thurbane]

I'm just curious - where did the figure of 5,000,000 D&D players come from in the first place?

 

[Thurbane]

Nod, of the 18 people in the 3 gaming groups I'm in, only 5 are actually "customers".

Same here - in our current group of 5, only 2 of us regularly buy material. The rest are happy to "borrow" our books and such as required at the table.

It was the same in our 2E heyday - the group was larger then (about 7 or 8), but I was really the only regular purchaser of materials, with 2 or 3 of the other making infrequent purchases.

So for every 1 purchaser of Dragon or Dungeon, assume a few freinds and gaming acquantainces who also read those same issues...suddenly that "paltry" 50,000 doesn't look quite so small a segment to hack off.