D&D is "under monetized"? "Live service tools" and "recurrent spending" for D&D (Rules Lawyer)
827Link to article: https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/dungeons-and-dragons-under-monetised-says-executives
I have posted the portions of Hasbro's presentation that are relevant to D&D players in my next video. The full Hasbro presentation (most of it covers Magic: The Gathering) has been posted online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJpDA9CsdJQ
(It is also on Hasbro's website - google "Hasbro presentations" and it's the one from Dec. 8 - but it requires a (free) registration.)
Here is what stood out to me when I listened to it after shooting this video:
-They use the phrase "live service tools" when describing how D&D Beyond lets them get detailed live data on how D&D players use it, and get more insights into their market (and subsections of their market)
-Contrary to what I think here, they are looking at monetizing the PLAYERS more (not the DMs):
"Dungeon masters, which are the people who guide you through the adventure, they only make up about 20 percent of the audience, but they are the largest share of our paying players. The rest of the players at the table, we believe digital will allow us to offer a lot more options to create rewarding experiences post-sale that helps us unlock the type of recurrent spending you see in digital games, where more than 70 percent of the revenue in digital gaming comes post-sale. The state of digital means that we are able to expand from what is essentially a yearly book publishing model to a recurrent spending environment, and we're offering content that we know fans want."
-D&D, unlike Magic the Gathering, is universally recognized (comparable to Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter) and has huge potential growth that they will try to realize through a "broad, 4 quadrant strategy" - (assuming the 1st is the tabletop game) this includes movies, triple-AAA video games, products using Hasbro's reach to create collectibles, toys, games.
My takeaways: This should be no surprise, but One D&D's design is only one of many priorities in what Hasbro sees as HUGE growth potential in D&D, and it is not nearly as "sexy" to investors (and likely to Hasbro itself) since it is less relatable and is something "not new." Next year's movie is timed to be the springboard for this new phase of D&D, with Baldur's Gate 3 and 6e coming out soon afterward.
ALSO: They see future growth in making D&D an online, digital game, modeling its financial potential after videogames. But videogames might not be a perfect analogy. What makes TTRPGs unique is the human element, a creative human DM, and the unique stories that come from adventures. Many people still prefer to play in-person.
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