Saw this on my Facebook feed https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/dungeons-and-dragons-under-monetised-says-executives?utm_source=social_sharing&fbclid=IwAR25ijqcfJgUwVd-bWKcnyfloOpa214dTdsvmzd53A-8rAP42CYDTmRa5O8

"D&D has never been more popular, and we have really great fans and engagement," Williams began. "But the brand is really under monetised."

The executives are less worried about design than installing more on-ramps for players to spend their money. Williams mentioned that while dungeon masters comprise roughly 20% of the D&D player base, they make up "the largest share of our paying players". An investment in digital, she posits, will allow Wizards of the Coast to "unlock the type of recurrent spending you see in digital games".

This shit again?

Even if they came up with a workable plan to "monetize" D&D, WOTC has proven spectacularly incompetent at implementing such plans.

Here is a line that is not the least bit shocking from the article:

"The executives are less worried about design than installing more on-ramps for players to spend their money"

Yeah, we figured that out on our own.   Its already at a point that the more I run 5e the less I like it already.   It's time for me to look at other systems to replace 5e because I cannot continue to support Wizards.

  Sounds like the same sorts of great plans around Star wars, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, etc.   I also suspect there will be a big concern around "sending the right messages" wrapped in there as well.  Fuck these people.

Yup, it seems to me that what they really need is a clear indication that they've created a great off ramp for people and will continue to shed their core if they keep shitting on it.

Quote from: S'mon on December 11, 2022, 02:53:44 AM
Saw this on my Facebook feed https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/dungeons-and-dragons-under-monetised-says-executives?utm_source=social_sharing&fbclid=IwAR25ijqcfJgUwVd-bWKcnyfloOpa214dTdsvmzd53A-8rAP42CYDTmRa5O8

"D&D has never been more popular, and we have really great fans and engagement," Williams began. "But the brand is really under monetised."

The executives are less worried about design than installing more on-ramps for players to spend their money. Williams mentioned that while dungeon masters comprise roughly 20% of the D&D player base, they make up "the largest share of our paying players". An investment in digital, she posits, will allow Wizards of the Coast to "unlock the type of recurrent spending you see in digital games".

From a post of mine in another thread, edited to be midwit free:

An except From the Hasbro webinar:

Quote
Specifically at 34:08 in:
https://kvgo.com/ubs/hasbro-inc-webinar

"...digital will allow us 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% of revenue in digital games comes post-sale. The speed of digital means that we are able to expand from what is essentially a yearly book publishing model, to a reoccurring spending environment, and we're offering content that we know fans want."

Loaded with corporate speak, but there is now no room for doubt: Microtran$action$ for the win, are in.

It will be very interesting to see the effects on 5e player culture the OneVTT ecosystem will have on D&D going forward.

While it is a very different situation to what made Baizuo's pathfinder ascendant; I just can't help but feel that there is an opportunity here for someone willing to play the long game against WotC D&D...

Paradox is trying the same thing with their purchased properties, in addition to licensing a bunch of terrible video games.

This is consistent with what they've been doing to the races.

1. Make races less distinct.
2. Add a shit ton of new races and variants.
3. Sell access to official race kits and art.
4. Profit!

Just like video game cosmetics, which are notoriously profitable.

I expect to see microtransaction art packs for character portraits/icons in DNDone, with limited/no support for custom content.

The fact that the shareholder meeting call got leaked, if only in snippets thus far, is a HUGE indicator that folks who are heavily invested in the business because they love the product are EXTREMELY and RIOTOUSLY unhappy with the things they heard to the point where they decided to share at least some of it.

Their entire corporate and business strategy quite plainly said, was described as focusing almost exclusively on turning D&D into a, and I'm not even paraphrasing, "a lifestyle brand" and to also (now I'm paraphrasing) slap the D&D brand on as much non-TTRPG bullshit as they can manage, be it via digital recurring fee services, microtransactions, even MORE fucking merch, toys, movies, licensed video games (for that easy no investment royalty money), and "experiences that go beyond the game."

RIP D&D, Paizo and other smaller companies are going to eat VERY well when it comes to the folks who actually want to pay people who care about the GAME they are making and that the players want to, you know, play, rather than to "interact/interface" or be associated with. This is an even WORSE look and direction than 4e and frankly, it makes me start to think that this D&D brand "bubble" is going to burst sooner rather than later.

  Seem to be following the modern corporate model of donning the woke cloak and then doing everything you can to bleed customers dry... has the built in advantage of being able to label detractors as racists (which in the lexicon of modern talk is the WORST THING A PERSON CAN BE) to quell criticism.  Yay.

The best part is they actually told people this was the plan.

The sheer level of contempt for the customer is pure wotc.

Quote from: Ratman_tf on December 11, 2022, 06:09:28 AM
...
Even if they came up with a workable plan to "monetize" D&D, WOTC has proven spectacularly incompetent at implementing such plans

All the people at WotC who tried in the past are gone.

Hasbro has hired people with a solid track record of success in digital gaming.

Covered a bit in an earlier thread here:
https://www.therpgsite.com/pen-paper-roleplaying-games-rpgs-discussion/ray-winninger-done-at-wotc-more-digital-dudes-coming-in/msg1233263/#msg1233263

This is how serious WotC is about this:.

Ray ray's replacement, Kyle Brink's whole working life is essentially digital gaming. Tim Fields, WotC's Senior Vice President and General Manager of Digital Gaming. Is of a similar background. With an emphasis on the monetization of mobile games.

Now of course the proof will be in the pudding. But WotC's plans for D&Done and their VTT should not be lightly dismissed!

Quote from: Omega on December 11, 2022, 04:15:22 PM
The best part is they actually told people this was the plan.

The sheer level of contempt for the customer is pure wotc.

It's pure Harvard business school Loot Economics. Hasbro/WotC is all run by Microsoft suits now. They see nothing wrong with their plan.

The real best part is that they already have WotC fanboys out there saying that there is nothing to worry about, nothing bad will happen...

There is a segment of the WotC D&D fanbase that is already lapping it all up and thanking them for it. They are contemptuous for good reason!

Quote from: DefNotAnInsiderNopeNoWay on December 11, 2022, 02:21:02 PM
The fact that the shareholder meeting call got leaked, if only in snippets thus far, is a HUGE indicator that folks who are heavily invested in the business because they love the product are EXTREMELY and RIOTOUSLY unhappy with the things they heard to the point where they decided to share at least some of it.

It wasn't leaked. It was open to anyone that wanted to listen in.

That's how little they care what the hobbyist base thinks.

Quote from: DefNotAnInsiderNopeNoWay on December 11, 2022, 02:21:02 PM
RIP D&D, Paizo and other smaller companies are going to eat VERY well when it comes to the folks who actually want to pay people who care about the GAME they are making and that the players want to, you know, play, rather than to "interact/interface" or be associated with. This is an even WORSE look and direction than 4e and frankly, it makes me start to think that this D&D brand "bubble" is going to burst sooner rather than later.

Baizuo is a converged company stricken with corporate cancer; They will be unable to pivot to take advantage of the direction that WotC is going.

It's what the other companies will do that will prove interesting to watch... 

In my opinion; Not only is no company currently out there making product in any position to take advantage of the coming shift. Not a single one of them are moving in a direction that will enable them to do so.

Now they could be making plans behind closed doors, but I find that unlikely...

I'd think Paizo's strategy should be obvious.  Wait for OneD&D to come out and then release Pathfinder Classic, going back to the original but tightening up in a couple places.

Quote from: Omega on December 11, 2022, 04:15:22 PM
The best part is they actually told people this was the plan.

The sheer level of contempt for the customer is pure wotc.

The type of people that buy skins and other in game purchases are unlikely to have heard about this or to care about this. Most others will think great, let the idiots pay as long as its cheap to play with the basic skins and such.