Instead it's the pariah of a complete lack of vision from higher-ups.
Since the C-level execs are clueless and I like the hobby I'm going to throw you dimwits at Hasbro a bone.
You should have been investing money in turning DND Beyond into a Steam-like portal for all things and vendors of RPGs. You create a one-shop shopping resource for anyone. and like the Steam model, you have a vetting process, you sell any 3rd party content (which automatically gets protections), you get a little taste (Steam's cut is 30%) and incredible visibility.
The 3rd party folks get an instant storefront, POS architecture, a locked in and also visibility. Players can download the items, which they now "own" 3rd party vendors get to set their prices (even free) and everyone makes money.
Have a subscription model for virtual items, and access to WotC specific content. Become a portal for every single VTT, including your own if needs be, and let the market decide which is best. Introduce codes back into the physical items that unlock those in the virtual interface. This could go beyond the books to minis, and other items even, but allow virtual only unlocks as well at a massively reduced rate. This is about quantity and consistency over time, not massive cash grabs.
For those who purchased virtual items in the DNDB store, credit their subscriptions for the amount invested up to this point. This is strictly to smooth over bad feelings about the business model change and let's face it, you owe the players any grace you can give. It would be completely worth it in the long run, which is what the C-Levels aren't looking towards well enough.
To be fair, you should just go talk Directly to Steamworks and ask, "How can we implement this model to our product lines?" Their partner contracts and subscriber agreements are well done, the product itself is so powerful that despite a hundred different ways to distribute games, almost every single house puts their product in the Steam store. So obviously somebody is doing something right.
Unfortunately, it's not you.
Bright side is, you still could. Sure you've got a tremendous amount of goodwill to win back, no lying there, but it could be done. You could create a platform that takes RPGs to the next level in a way the original OGL did. You just have to have the desire and fortitude to make it happen. You're going to have to spend money to make money, you're going to have make a choice.
It's easy to be a villain, and much harder to be the hero.
They have their “Steam for D&D third party content” - it is the DMs Guild. It has been up and running for years and has been a boon for Wizards, fans, and third party creators alike.
Beyond is a fundamentally different product, designed for turning rules into character sheets and encounters. It excels specifically because it is small and straightforward, making it a useful tool for folks who want to play the game. For content not on Beyond, there’s an extensive homebrew section so you can take what you have purchased on DMs Guild or some other third party site and add it to your Beyond character creation and encounter tools.
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Instead it's the pariah of a complete lack of vision from higher-ups.
Since the C-level execs are clueless and I like the hobby I'm going to throw you dimwits at Hasbro a bone.
You should have been investing money in turning DND Beyond into a Steam-like portal for all things and vendors of RPGs. You create a one-shop shopping resource for anyone. and like the Steam model, you have a vetting process, you sell any 3rd party content (which automatically gets protections), you get a little taste (Steam's cut is 30%) and incredible visibility.
The 3rd party folks get an instant storefront, POS architecture, a locked in and also visibility. Players can download the items, which they now "own" 3rd party vendors get to set their prices (even free) and everyone makes money.
Have a subscription model for virtual items, and access to WotC specific content. Become a portal for every single VTT, including your own if needs be, and let the market decide which is best. Introduce codes back into the physical items that unlock those in the virtual interface. This could go beyond the books to minis, and other items even, but allow virtual only unlocks as well at a massively reduced rate. This is about quantity and consistency over time, not massive cash grabs.
For those who purchased virtual items in the DNDB store, credit their subscriptions for the amount invested up to this point. This is strictly to smooth over bad feelings about the business model change and let's face it, you owe the players any grace you can give. It would be completely worth it in the long run, which is what the C-Levels aren't looking towards well enough.
To be fair, you should just go talk Directly to Steamworks and ask, "How can we implement this model to our product lines?" Their partner contracts and subscriber agreements are well done, the product itself is so powerful that despite a hundred different ways to distribute games, almost every single house puts their product in the Steam store. So obviously somebody is doing something right.
Unfortunately, it's not you.
Bright side is, you still could. Sure you've got a tremendous amount of goodwill to win back, no lying there, but it could be done. You could create a platform that takes RPGs to the next level in a way the original OGL did. You just have to have the desire and fortitude to make it happen. You're going to have to spend money to make money, you're going to have make a choice.
It's easy to be a villain, and much harder to be the hero.
So, what do you want to do?
They have their “Steam for D&D third party content” - it is the DMs Guild. It has been up and running for years and has been a boon for Wizards, fans, and third party creators alike.
Beyond is a fundamentally different product, designed for turning rules into character sheets and encounters. It excels specifically because it is small and straightforward, making it a useful tool for folks who want to play the game. For content not on Beyond, there’s an extensive homebrew section so you can take what you have purchased on DMs Guild or some other third party site and add it to your Beyond character creation and encounter tools.