by The world of online Dungeons & Dragons was hit with an “earth-moving” spell today when Hasbro, which owns Wizards of the Coast, announced it will purchase D&D Beyond (DDB). DDB is the top dog in the world of online D&D content and toolsets. WOTC is the official D&D 5e publisher. The combination of these two BBEGs is bound to be … big!
In an April 13 press release published on the WOTC website, Hasbro announced its plans to purchase D&D Beyond for $146.3 million in cash. “This strategic acquisition … will further strengthen Hasbro’s capabilities in the fast-growing digital tabletop category while also adding veteran talents to the Wizards of the Coast team,” stated officials.
Hasbro purchased Wizards back in 1999 for approximately $325 million. As part of a 2021 reorganization at Hasbro, a new “Wizards & Digital” division was formed, with WOTC playing the lead part. WOTC also owns/publishes the trading card game “Magic the Gathering.”
D&D Beyond has been around since 2017. It has been owned and operated by Fandom since 2019. DDB is the leading RPG (role-playing game) digital toolset and boasts almost 10 million registered users.
For many, WOTC’s acquisition of DDB seems to make perfect sense.
“Dungeons & Dragons and D&D Beyond have always felt like a part of the same family. That’s why we are excited to welcome everyone at D&D Beyond to formally join us at Wizards of the Coast, bringing together two teams dedicated to continuing to make Dungeons & Dragons easy to run and accessible to all.”
– WOTC website, 4/13/22
Big grins
According to an announcement published on D&D Beyond’s main page, DDB staff are looking at it as a major boost.
We’ve just leveled up in a big way. … we’re excited for what the future holds as we dig in with our new partners. We wish you could see the big stupid grins we’ve all been walking around with. This is truly an incredible time for all of us, and it really feels like there’s no limit to what we can accomplish for our players. Remember, the key factor that makes this partnership perfect is that these teams want one thing: to make your experience playing the World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game even better.
– DDB News Release, 4/13/22
Both companies are making it very clear that D&D Beyond users should not be worried about what will happen to all their online content.
“We have no plans to stop supporting D&D Beyond. The purchases you’ve made, the characters you’ve created, and the campaigns you’ve run aren’t going anywhere.”
– WOTC Website, 4/13/22
What the future holds
It is very clear that WOTC is treating the news as a Nat20. So is D&D Beyond.
“Growing our team means great things to come. … We’ll have more to share with you later this year, so hone those Perception checks and warm up your dice (digital and otherwise).
– WOTC Website, 4/13/22
Player reactions
Judging by the amount of chatter the news prompted in one D&D Discord server full of players and DMs that use multiple online platforms, many people are trying to think ahead about what it may all mean.
We’ll keep an eye on it
D&D Cooperative staff writers will keep a close eye on what transpires with both companies as we all look ahead to what this new partnership means for dungeon delvers everywhere.
