"I think we got our first real view of the financial contribution of Wizards when they resegmented the business," said Stephanie Wissink, managing director at Jefferies.
"A lot of the parents that are coming in to pick up the game are returning players that have taken a bit of time away to have their families and focus on the responsibilities of their lives but are using the downtime created by the pandemic to introduce their kids or spouse to the game," he said. Leeder noted that D&D book sales were up about 30% during the year and sales of dice, miniatures, terrain and other accessories for the game also increased.īryan LeBlanc, manager of The Battle Standard, a hobby shop in East Windsor, Connecticut, said sales of D&D and other board games have skyrocketed in the last year, prompting him to double his selection. "We have seen a substantial increase in interest in table-top gaming overall in the last year due to the pandemic and people having more time to play games," said Dan Leeder, vice president of operations at Noble Knight Games, a hobby shop in Fitchburg, Wisconsin.
Voice changing software dungeons and dragons how to#
"That means new players are coming in and adopting the game," he explained.Īdventure books, which offer guidance to dungeon masters about how to run a campaign, and core rule books, which help players create their characters and understand how to play, also had record-breaking sales.Īnd Wizards of the Coast isn't the only company benefiting from renewed interest in the nearly five-decade old game. Box sets and the company's Essentials Kit, which contain everything players need to start an adventure, had record sales last year, Cocks said. In recent years, the sale of new player handbooks and starter sets have been a large portion of the D&D brand's growth.
Many turned to video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Teams and Skype to assemble their party and used services like Roll20 or D&D Beyond to share maps and keep track of stats. When the pandemic struck, gamers, who often gathered for weekly or monthly sessions in-person, were forced find new ways to interact online. The players create characters, improvising how those heroes - or scoundrels - respond to scenarios and rolling to the dice to determine their success or failure in those actions. The dungeon master organizes the game, setting the quests for players to complete and describing everything they see and hear along their journey. Popular D&D groups like Critical Role, High Rollers and Relics and Rarities, which feature voice actors and celebrity players, have continued to fuel interest in the game.įor generations, D&D has typically been played around a table.
This version is centered more on storytelling than complex game mechanics.Īt the same time, there was a rise in the number of people live-streaming D&D games on video platforms like Twitch and posting hours-long sessions on YouTube. However, it did report that overall revenue for Wizards rose 24% in 2020, topping $816 million.įirst published in 1974, D&D has long been part of popular culture, but its sales have been on a sharp upwards trajectory since 2014 when Wizards of the Coast updated its rulebook and launched what is known to players as the fifth edition.
The toymaker doesn't share the specific sales total for the brand or for Magic: The Gathering and digital gaming, which also falls under the Wizards' banner. The Hasbro division is set to launch two D&D video games this year and accelerate the rate at which it publishes new books and box sets.ĭ&D sales jumped 33% last year - adding to a six-year growth streak. Stalwart fans used lockdown to teach friends and family how to play, ushering in a new cohort of dice-rolling enthusiasts that will transition from socially distanced online chatrooms to crowded tables in the coming year.Īnd parent Wizards of the Coast will have new product for them to devour when they do. The D&D brand is emerging in a strong position. With vaccination rates rising, an end to the pandemic appears to be in sight.