During today's 'Hasbro Fireside Chat', Hasbro's Chris Cocks, chief executive officer, and Cynthia Williams, president of Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming mentioned D&D, and about betting big on its name. This was in addition to the Magic: The Gathering discussion they held on the same call.
The following are rough notes on what they said.
D&D Beyond
The following are rough notes on what they said.
D&D Beyond
- Leaning heavily on D&D Beyond
- 13 million registered users
- Give them more ways to express their fandom
- Hired 350 people last year
- Low attrition
- Never been more popular
- Brand under-monetized
- Excited about D&D Beyond possibilities
- Empower accessibility and development of the user base.
- Data driven insight
- Window into how players are playing
- Companion app on their phone
- Start future monetization starting with D&D Beyond
- DMs are 20% of the audience but lions share of purchases
- Digital game recurrent spending for post sale revenue.
- Speed of digital can expand, yearly book model to include current digital style models.
- Reach highly engaged multigenerational fans.
- Dungeons and Dragons has recognition, 10 out of 10
- Cultural phenomenon right now.
- DND strategy is a broad four quadrant strategy
- Like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or Marvel
- New books and accessories, licensed game stuff, and D&D Beyond
- Huge hopes for D&D
- First big light up oppourtunity for 4th quadrant
- Significant marketing
- They think it’ll have significant box office
- It has second most viewed trailer at Paramount, only eclipsed by Transformers
- Will be licensed video games, some on movies
- Then follow up other media, TV, other movies, etc.
- Bullish on D&D.
