D&D Beyond was acquired by Hasbro for $143.3 Millon

GhostNinja · April 14, 2022, 08:55:30 AM

According to Geekwire Hasbro has acquired D&D Beyond for 143.3 million

Link: https://www.geekwire.com/2022/dd-beyond-officially-joins-wizards-of-the-coast-in-146-3m-acquisition/

"The parent company behind Dungeons & Dragons has moved to outright acquire the game's most popular digital toolset.

D&D Beyond, currently operated by the entertainment wiki service Fandom, announced that its officially joining Renton, Wash.-based Wizards of the Coast, as Wizards' owner Hasbro plans to acquire Beyond.

In an official press release, Hasbro announced that it will pay $146.3 million in cash for D&D Beyond, describing it as a "strategic acquisition" that will add talent to the Wizards team and strengthen Hasbro's moves into digital tabletop gaming. The acquisition is set to be completed later this year.

Beyond is one of several officially licensed digital companion services that have arisen in recent years to make life easier for players of Dungeons & Dragons. Through its website and a companion app, beyond offers tools like character and encounter builders, spell lists, and a new player guide, which can all come in very handy for a game as big and sprawling as modern D&D."

I am wondering what your thoughts are on this. As I am moving away from D&D 5th edition due to the problems I have with it, this really doesn't affect me much, but I am curious on your thoughts.

Shrieking Banshee · April 14, 2022, 09:00:25 AM

I wish I could be paid a hundred million dollars for a fan wiki.

Omega · April 14, 2022, 09:04:14 AM

Quote from: Shrieking Banshee on April 14, 2022, 09:00:25 AM
I wish I could be paid a hundred million dollars for a fan wiki.

Beyond itself is not a wiki. It is a sort of online RPG system for playing D&D with chat and graphical tools. Like a scaled down version of what was promised for 3 and I think 4e?

Shrieking Banshee · April 14, 2022, 09:30:01 AM

Quote from: Omega on April 14, 2022, 09:04:14 AM

Beyond itself is not a wiki. It is a sort of online RPG system for playing D&D with chat and graphical tools. Like a scaled down version of what was promised for 3 and I think 4e?

Well good for them then. Good Job. I don't care because I don't play 5e, but Im glad a product like this got purchased instead of just shut down like it normally happens.

THE_Leopold · April 14, 2022, 09:54:39 AM

Quote from: Omega on April 14, 2022, 09:04:14 AM
Quote from: Shrieking Banshee on April 14, 2022, 09:00:25 AM
I wish I could be paid a hundred million dollars for a fan wiki.

Beyond itself is not a wiki. It is a sort of online RPG system for playing D&D with chat and graphical tools. Like a scaled down version of what was promised for 3 and I think 4e?

Far beyond a simple "wiki". It's a campaign and character management with integration to all of WOTC product line including the ability for fan/custom work. With open API hooks into applications you can import your campaigns with characters into VTT, Discord, etc with some work. The apps for tablets and phones leave no excuse that you don't have your PC sheet with you

We use DNDBeyond exclusively for the dozens of PC's my crew has because it keeps things stupidly simple and organized.

WOTC finally bought out a digital product that "Just Works" and the theory is WOTC is working on a VTT to rival the other competitors. As long as WOTC leaved DNDBeyond alone and lets them run the ship everything will be fine.

Bloody Malth · April 14, 2022, 02:56:03 PM

The new CEO of Hasbro came from WotC and he thinks dnd has a lot of untapped potential. So do a lot of the boardmembers. So this acquisition probably stems from that belief.

I'm not sure that spending a 1.5 hundred million dollars on a product you were already making money on through the license is a great idea, but it's probably part of some long term strategy they've cooked up. To their credit, in my experience the new players of dnd, especially the people coming from watching Critical Role, prefer Dnd Beyond to writing things down and doing simple math (Beyond calculates all your bonuses for you and you can use the platform to "roll" digital dice).

Chris24601 · April 14, 2022, 03:03:26 PM

Quote from: Bloody Malth on April 14, 2022, 02:56:03 PM
The new CEO of Hasbro came from WotC and he thinks dnd has a lot of untapped potential. So do a lot of the boardmembers. So this acquisition probably stems from that belief.

I'm not sure that spending a 1.5 hundred million dollars on a product you were already making money on through the license is a great idea, but it's probably part of some long term strategy they've cooked up. To their credit, in my experience the new players of dnd, especially the people coming from watching Critical Role, prefer Dnd Beyond to writing things down and doing simple math (Beyond calculates all your bonuses for you and you can use the platform to "roll" digital dice).

I predict WotC adds a "privilege penalty" to D&D Beyond where you suffer a cumulative -2 to all rolls for each of the following that apply to the user; straight, white, male, Christian, politically to the right of Mao.

It's only equitable after all.

GhostNinja · April 14, 2022, 03:13:34 PM

Quote from: Shrieking Banshee on April 14, 2022, 09:30:01 AM
Well good for them then. Good Job. I don't care because I don't play 5e, but Im glad a product like this got purchased instead of just shut down like it normally happens.

Yeah, I played and ran 5e for a while but really got burned out of it because the characters get way too powerful too quickly and it gets to a point where players just plow through bad guys.

But it is great for those who use it.

Mishihari · April 14, 2022, 05:47:53 PM

Huh. I wasn't even aware of this. It got me thinking about the game I'm working on right now. Maybe I should give away pdfs of the books for free and try to make money on an online tool instead. They're not exactly hard to do.

THE_Leopold · April 14, 2022, 05:49:10 PM

Quote from: Mishihari on April 14, 2022, 05:47:53 PM
Huh. I wasn't even aware of this. It got me thinking about the game I'm working on right now. Maybe I should give away pdfs of the books for free and try to make money on an online tool instead. They're not exactly hard to do.

Razor companies do it all the time.

Cat the Bounty Smuggler · April 14, 2022, 09:24:08 PM

Doesn't this mean the barista adventure just became official?

Dropbear · April 15, 2022, 04:35:43 PM

Quote from: Cat the Bounty Smuggler on April 14, 2022, 09:24:08 PM
Doesn't this mean the barista adventure just became official?

Ugh.

Cat the Bounty Smuggler · April 15, 2022, 07:08:06 PM

Quote from: Dropbear on April 15, 2022, 04:35:43 PM
Quote from: Cat the Bounty Smuggler on April 14, 2022, 09:24:08 PM
Doesn't this mean the barista adventure just became official?

Ugh.

Well, I ask because people have made the argument that it's not an official adventure, it's a fan work because D&D Beyond was not owned by Wizards. That argument has kind of gone out the window now.

Omega · April 16, 2022, 10:51:46 AM

Quote from: Cat the Bounty Smuggler on April 15, 2022, 07:08:06 PM
Quote from: Dropbear on April 15, 2022, 04:35:43 PM
Quote from: Cat the Bounty Smuggler on April 14, 2022, 09:24:08 PM
Doesn't this mean the barista adventure just became official?

Ugh.

Well, I ask because people have made the argument that it's not an official adventure, it's a fan work because D&D Beyond was not owned by Wizards. That argument has kind of gone out the window now.

If it was a fan work before, its still a fan work now unless they officially add it in. Its much like the charity Kwalish adventure. That was fan made as of last check.

oggsmash · April 16, 2022, 04:21:57 PM

Quote from: GhostNinja on April 14, 2022, 03:13:34 PM
Quote from: Shrieking Banshee on April 14, 2022, 09:30:01 AM
Well good for them then. Good Job. I don't care because I don't play 5e, but Im glad a product like this got purchased instead of just shut down like it normally happens.

Yeah, I played and ran 5e for a while but really got burned out of it because the characters get way too powerful too quickly and it gets to a point where players just plow through bad guys.

But it is great for those who use it.

I have had a similar experience both running and playing 5e, playing written adventures for the levels we are at (5th) the party seems to stomp the bad guys big time, and our party has pretty poor balance with regard to combat encounters.