Quote from: Grognard GM on December 13, 2023, 10:15:23 PM

Quote from: honeydipperdavid on December 13, 2023, 10:01:25 PM

Quote from: GeekyBugle on December 13, 2023, 09:59:51 PM
McFarlane Toys to produce action figures for Hasbro

Either Hasbro is in worst shape than we think or they want to switch from toys to video games.

Come on now, we are talking about Hasbro, they want to switch from toys to buttplugs.

Any toy's a buttplug if you're brave enough.

We'd have to talk to Hasbro's Inclusivity Reader to see if we can write, wait, Hasbro fired him, ok, I'll allow that joke.

Quote from: honeydipperdavid on December 13, 2023, 01:40:45 PM

Quote from: daft on December 13, 2023, 12:21:39 PM
20% sales increase for MtG is pretty impressive. Unfortunately, both WotC and D&D will probably live on for a good long while.

If MTG increased sales by 20% and WotC only saw a 3% sales increase, what does that mean?

Hmm, something in WotC is dragging them down.

Well BG3 did gangbusters and that's D&D. Huh, the other BU of WotC is D&D.  If you look at their other BU's they are new or funded, usually they don't cause problems financially.  Then you have D&D that has been around for a while, that has spent a year stepping on their dicks using censors and trash talking their white customers.  They just lost their publishing deal and are getting ready for an edition change meaning less people buying.  I'm willing to bet, the taint known as D&D is dragging down WotC.

https://company.wizards.com/en/who-we-are

TrueBG3 was a blessing for them and the IP I think, and there is a possibility that it will boost D&D RPG sales down the line, but we would probably have seen that already if so. I think the D&D movie was pretty decent as well, yet they still seem to have found a way to squander the IP. But no fat lady has sung yet.

Yeah, I'm unfortunately skeptical that this represents cleaning house on Wizards' part.  Rather they're so infested that you can't swing a stick without hitting three dangerhairs in their office, so that's what got laid off.  It was just a matter of numbers.

Quote from: daft on December 14, 2023, 01:07:59 AMTrueBG3 was a blessing for them and the IP I think, and there is a possibility that it will boost D&D RPG sales down the line, but we would probably have seen that already if so.

Baldur's Gate 3 is more likely to get D&D players to switch to video games than to get video gamers to play the tabletop game.

Unfortunately the crpg scene is pretty bland. It's >99% interchangeable D&D ripoffs. Nothing against D&D, I'm just burned out on D&D cliches. The remaining trace amounts of other genres aren't worth discussing. It's not even as creative as TSR's collated output, including Gamma World, Alternity, and Amazing Engine, or the d20 Modern supplements and Polyhedron mini-settings.

Quote from: GeekyBugle on December 13, 2023, 09:59:51 PM
McFarlane Toys to produce action figures for Hasbro

Either Hasbro is in worst shape than we think or they want to switch from toys to video games.

They wish to be an IP farm, outsource all the IP to other companies and have them produce the merchandise for them with minimal overhead.  Think Disney without the theme parks. What does Disney make? Nothing.  They license their IP to other companies and make 30% without lifting a finger.

Quote from: hedgehobbit on December 14, 2023, 10:03:30 AM
Baldur's Gate 3 is more likely to get D&D players to switch to video games than to get video gamers to play the tabletop game.

I don't buy this at all.  Even if it were true per capita, there's way more video game players who are running Baldur's Gate than D&D players who are running it, just because video games is an incredibly huge genre compared to TTRPGs.
But there's also things like, "many players played D&D in the past and might consider a TTPRG again after Baldur's Gate" and "all D&D players either play video games or have a reason not to, but most video game players don't play tabletop and many could".

Baldur's Gate 3 is definitely good for WotC's bottom line, definitely good for D&D as a brand, and might actually have an overall positive effect on the total TTRPG playerbase, maybe.

It's also probably the best CRPG ever, and certainly in the lifetime of any young gamer (like 25 and younger, not just like kids).  It singlehandedly revitalized a dead genre.  Larian deserves a lot of respect, I didn't personally think a western developer would even be permitted to make a game that is that good.

Doesn't surprise me that d&d isn't doing great after last year. Who announces a replacement product way before it is ready? All that does is kill the market for the existing line. I'm pretty sure that happened to 4E. Who craps on existing loyalists before the very expensive movie comes out? Who doesn't fire the dolt responsible for such company hobbling decisions?

They should have shut up about vet and reeditted the core books to gain time and fill the war chest during the transition. I know we all would have hated the re-edited books but it still would have been the smart move.

I also would have taken one of the almost a basic set versions of the game, called it a basic set and packaged it for newbies and kids.

Quote from: hedgehobbit on December 14, 2023, 10:03:30 AM

Quote from: daft on December 14, 2023, 01:07:59 AMTrueBG3 was a blessing for them and the IP I think, and there is a possibility that it will boost D&D RPG sales down the line, but we would probably have seen that already if so.

Baldur's Gate 3 is more likely to get D&D players to switch to video games than to get video gamers to play the tabletop game.

The other thing is that BG3 took what, 6 years and 200+ people to make. It's a one time sale for $60. No DLC. Apparently it sold like 20 million copies, so obviously it's profitable, but it doesn't seem like a great model for your product line, releasing one huge game every 5-6 years.

Quote from: JeremyR on December 14, 2023, 03:40:54 PMThe other thing is that BG3 took what, 6 years and 200+ people to make. It's a one time sale for $60. No DLC. Apparently it sold like 20 million copies, so obviously it's profitable, but it doesn't seem like a great model for your product line, releasing one huge game every 5-6 years.

I've been trying to find out how much of that money went to Hasbro and I'm seeing numbers around $100 million. This is significant considering their digital revenues are normally in the range of $300 million. While, as you said, it is a once in 6 years windfall, I'd expect Baldur's Gate 4 to be easier and quicker to develop.

However, Hasbro generally has revenue over $5 billion. So $100 million is great but not really game changing.

Quote from: JeremyR on December 14, 2023, 03:40:54 PM
...
The other thing is that BG3 took what, 6 years and 200+ people to make. It's a one time sale for $60. No DLC. Apparently it sold like 20 million copies, so obviously it's profitable, but it doesn't seem like a great model for your product line, releasing one huge game every 5-6 years.

Correct.

The Microsoft suits were right about D&D (The DOMINANT RPG brand) being "under monetized".

Yet they really seem to have been dragging their feet on the whole "monetization" thing...


Lego makes medieval themed sets. WTF are there no D&D themed lego sets?

Critical Role has a 'totally not D&D' anime series on amazon. WTF is there no D&D animated series anywhere?

Hasbro makes toys? Yet D&D action figures tied into their non-existed animated series are nowhere to be seen.

BG3 was a big hit. But that license was signed for Six Years ago!

Where is the 'Forgotten Realms: Total War' computer wargame?

Where is the D&D themed version of the 'Gauntlet' dungeon multiplayer video game?

D&D themed 'Mortal Kombat' or 'Street Fighter' anyone?

BG3 should just be one of many products bringing home that licensing cheddar.

The truth is that Wotc is just utterly incompetent.

Quote from: Jaeger on December 14, 2023, 07:24:47 PM

Quote from: JeremyR on December 14, 2023, 03:40:54 PM
...
The other thing is that BG3 took what, 6 years and 200+ people to make. It's a one time sale for $60. No DLC. Apparently it sold like 20 million copies, so obviously it's profitable, but it doesn't seem like a great model for your product line, releasing one huge game every 5-6 years.

Correct.

The Microsoft suits were right about D&D (The DOMINANT RPG brand) being "under monetized".

Yet they really seem to have been dragging their feet on the whole "monetization" thing...


Lego makes medieval themed sets. WTF are there no D&D themed lego sets?

Critical Role has a 'totally not D&D' anime series on amazon. WTF is there no D&D animated series anywhere?

Hasbro makes toys? Yet D&D action figures tied into their non-existed animated series are nowhere to be seen.

BG3 was a big hit. But that license was signed for Six Years ago!

Where is the 'Forgotten Realms: Total War' computer wargame?

Where is the D&D themed version of the 'Gauntlet' dungeon multiplayer video game?

D&D themed 'Mortal Kombat' or 'Street Fighter' anyone?

BG3 should just be one of many products bringing home that licensing cheddar.

The truth is that Wotc is just utterly incompetent.

Wrong, they released action figures of their ONLY animated series, you can find them at Ollies for a buck or two.

The rest you're spot on.

Thing is most kids don't play with action figures anymore, they play videogames, but WotC is retarded and haven't been releasing phone games up the wazoo.

Their big idea is their VTT to bleed ACTUAL TTRPG gamers, when they should be marketing to normies.

Dungeon Builder, where you're the BBG building your dungeon and stocking it with monsters to defend it from the adventurers, think theme park tycoon but D&D.

D&D JumpnGun, 2d sidescroller

D&D Platformer 2d sidescroller

D&D shoot em up vertical scroller where you have a Spelljammer ship shooting space dragons and shit.

2.5d Dungeon crawl

2d Dungeon crawl a la enter the gungeon

2d RTS but D&D where you choose a faction to fight with others

FPS where you're a Thief, Wizard, Warrior, etc

But WotC (and Hasbro) are retarded.

Dungeon Builder, where you're the BBG building your dungeon and stocking it with monsters to defend it from the adventurers, think theme park tycoon but D&D.

That IS actually a game, not from Hasbro though. Dungeon Keeper, from Bullfrog and Electronic Arts. You can still get it on GOG, and there was a huge mod just released. Bullfrog did a bunch of those types of games. There was even a sequel, Dungeon Keeper II.

Certainly Hasbro should do one, but you can just point to the actual game for an example (rather than "Dungeon Builder" and "Theme Park Tycoon").

Quote from: Baron on December 14, 2023, 07:53:56 PM
Dungeon Builder, where you're the BBG building your dungeon and stocking it with monsters to defend it from the adventurers, think theme park tycoon but D&D.

That IS actually a game, not from Hasbro though. Dungeon Keeper, from Bullfrog and Electronic Arts. You can still get it on GOG, and there was a huge mod just released. Bullfrog did a bunch of those types of games. There was even a sequel, Dungeon Keeper II.

Certainly Hasbro should do one, but you can just point to the actual game for an example (rather than "Dungeon Builder" and "Theme Park Tycoon").

I could have if I had known about the game before reading your answer. Alas I didn't.

Quote from: GeekyBugle on December 14, 2023, 07:58:02 PM
I could have if I had known about the game before reading your answer. Alas I didn't.

You should get it then, it's a lot of fun. EA even sells it for the phone, I have it on my Android.