Actually if you buy the Kindle version of a book you get the audible one at a discount. All Amazon I know but it's a thing.😁
The fact that it's all Amazon is the key point. Paizo throws in free .pdf versions of the books for subscribers too. That's easy to arrange since it's one and the same company selling both versions of the product. DDB not being in the same company tree as WotC is the big wrench in the plan here.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
That was my point. Same companies can do that. Plus let's all be real here. If you want to use DDB you are going to buy the digital book there. If you still want the physical version because you're like me and you have to have it on your shelf. You are going to buy that too. You will buy both. You know you want to. Muahahahahahaha.
Will this be changing with the new partnership of dndbeyond and Wizards of the Coast? I know people who have many books purchased but don't use dndbeyond because they don't want to purchase the same book twice
Will this be changing with the new partnership of dndbeyond and Wizards of the Coast? I know people who have many books purchased but don't use dndbeyond because they don't want to purchase the same book twice
Too early to know any details. I'm sure this will be fleshed out in the months to come.
Will this be changing with the new partnership of dndbeyond and Wizards of the Coast? I know people who have many books purchased but don't use dndbeyond because they don't want to purchase the same book twice
I don't think we're going to have a solid answer on this for a while, and definitely not today. I'm hoping for bundle deals in the future, but we'll see.
Will this be changing with the new partnership of dndbeyond and Wizards of the Coast? I know people who have many books purchased but don't use dndbeyond because they don't want to purchase the same book twice
It literally just happened, we don't have any information on anything besides the fact WotC bought them.
Not to be a total pessimist, but the press release points out that DDB served as a significant source of revenue for Hasbro, so I don't see why a major corporation would buy a prize cow just to take less milk. But I've been wrong before. I didn't think this acquisition was going to happen in the first place, so take what I say with the tiniest grain of salt. Just trying to look at things realistically.
Not to be a total pessimist, but the press release points out that DDB served as a significant source of revenue for Hasbro, so I don't see why a major corporation would buy a prize cow just to take less milk. But I've been wrong before. I didn't think this acquisition was going to happen in the first place, so take what I say with the tiniest grain of salt. Just trying to look at things realistically.
^This^
Plus, if you buy Fallout 4 on Steam, you don't get discounts or free copies on Epic, GOG, or the consoles ... same concept. It's a different medium, and each separate medium will require a separate purchase.
Just like you don't get a discount on another physical copy if you buy it from multiple stores ...
Not to be a total pessimist, but the press release points out that DDB served as a significant source of revenue for Hasbro, so I don't see why a major corporation would buy a prize cow just to take less milk. But I've been wrong before. I didn't think this acquisition was going to happen in the first place, so take what I say with the tiniest grain of salt. Just trying to look at things realistically.
The press release did NOT say Beyond is a signficant source of revenue, in fact, it is quite the opposite. Hasbro said Beyond's aqcuisition will be immaterial to revenue this year. They are saying that Beyond is one source of revenue that is growing fast though. They did say it will gradually increase EPS in the future, and they seem to expect the impact as soon as next year, but they did not say whether it would be material or not, so whatever increase in profits might still be negligible in the near future.
Basically, if Hasbro's revenue is $100 and royalties from Beyond is $0.02 in 2019, $0.04 in 2020, and $0.08 in 2021, royalties from Beyond is basically chump change, BUT, it is growing very fast.
But yeah, I do not see Wizards bundling physical and digital books together anytime soon. I think boxed sets are more likely to have some sort of physical and digital bundle since there is precedent for that with the Essentials Kit, but even then, I do not think this will be a standard practice.
Not to be a total pessimist, but the press release points out that DDB served as a significant source of revenue for Hasbro, so I don't see why a major corporation would buy a prize cow just to take less milk. But I've been wrong before. I didn't think this acquisition was going to happen in the first place, so take what I say with the tiniest grain of salt. Just trying to look at things realistically.
^This^
Plus, if you buy Fallout 4 on Steam, you don't get discounts or free copies on Epic, GOG, or the consoles ... same concept. It's a different medium, and each separate medium will require a separate purchase.
Just like you don't get a discount on another physical copy if you buy it from multiple stores ...
Microsoft do this with Smart Delivery, allowing people to buy games for their Xbox One and get a free upgrade for the newer Xbox. With D&D Beyond being first party now it probably can be done. Now whether Hasbro decide to do it or not, deciding its far more profitable to sell physical and digital completely seperately, is another matter entirely. To borrow from the similarities of video games, the demographic has long shown it's willing to pay multiple times for the same product.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
I'm sorry if I'm misreading the quote you posted, but here's where my emphasis was when reading it:
"Over the last three years, the royalty paid to Hasbro by D&D Beyond has represented a significant contribution to the fastest growing source of revenue for DUNGEONS & DRAGONS."
That lead me to believe that the amount of money that DDB was bringing in is what made it an attractive purchase.
The part of it being "immaterial to revenue and earnings per share in 2022" read to me as meaning this would not impact earnings reporting in 2022 (which comes off to me as measured expectations for stock holders, basically saying don't expect to see your stock value rise simply because of this any time super soon), but where it says "accretive to earnings per share in fiscal year 2023 and beyond" came off to me as saying "If there will be any growth in your stock value because of this, this is the soonest you should expect to see it."
Sorry if I read that wrong, I'm definitely not an accountant by any stretch. Just wanted to clarify my understanding in the event that I can learn something new today.
I'm sorry if I'm misreading the quote you posted, but here's where my emphasis was when reading it:
"Over the last three years, the royalty paid to Hasbro by D&D Beyond has represented a significant contribution to the fastest growing source of revenue for DUNGEONS & DRAGONS."
That lead me to believe that the amount of money that DDB was bringing in is what made it an attractive purchase.
The part of it being "immaterial to revenue and earnings per share in 2022" read to me as meaning this would not impact earnings reporting in 2022 (which comes off to me as measured expectations for stock holders, basically saying don't expect to see your stock value rise simply because of this any time super soon), but where it says "accretive to earnings per share in fiscal year 2023 and beyond" came off to me as saying "If there will be any growth in your stock value because of this, this is the soonest you should expect to see it."
Sorry if I read that wrong, I'm definitely not an accountant by any stretch. Just wanted to clarify my understanding in the event that I can learn something new today.
I would say that statement means that WOTC is making real hard cash from DDB, enough to warrant them spending 148 million buying them, vs building there own version.
As for linking physical books to the digital product, while nothing has been announced I doubt it will happen for a few reasons.
1- How do you manage it, if you are printing a code in every book then you have increased costs of printing a unique page in every book (a real cost) and ensuring no 2 books have the same code. 2- How do you stop someone going into a bookshop, opening the book to said code page, and entering the code there and then, then walking out? 3- The cost of porting the rules into a digital format has to be paid for somehow, this is not the same as a simple PDF which is effectively a photocopy of the book, DDB is a webapp with complex development in the back end to replicate the various rules of DnD so, either you remove the free to use tier, or you increase the other tiers, or you charge more per book in which case you are charging people for somethign they may never use if they do not use DDB. 4- What if you only want the online content, do you then get the physical book for free, or do you pay for it at a later date, enter the code and get a refund? 5- If you put a piece of paper in every book and then seal it, in this day and age, is that really what we want from a company, adding more plastic, not taking it away? 6- If you put it on the book sellers to do the digital process and supply the code then how do you manage this in every store that sells DnD books?
Not to be a total pessimist, but the press release points out that DDB served as a significant source of revenue for Hasbro, so I don't see why a major corporation would buy a prize cow just to take less milk. But I've been wrong before. I didn't think this acquisition was going to happen in the first place, so take what I say with the tiniest grain of salt. Just trying to look at things realistically.
^This^
Plus, if you buy Fallout 4 on Steam, you don't get discounts or free copies on Epic, GOG, or the consoles ... same concept. It's a different medium, and each separate medium will require a separate purchase.
Just like you don't get a discount on another physical copy if you buy it from multiple stores ...
Microsoft do this with Smart Delivery, allowing people to buy games for their Xbox One and get a free upgrade for the newer Xbox. With D&D Beyond being first party now it probably can be done. Now whether Hasbro decide to do it or not, deciding its far more profitable to sell physical and digital completely seperately, is another matter entirely. To borrow from the similarities of video games, the demographic has long shown it's willing to pay multiple times for the same product.
In order to be able to get the free upgrade I either have to own the physical disc of the game which I need in my Xbox to play said game,, or have downloaded it and paid for it online, and it is on my account. That is much easier to prove then having a paper copy of a thing I bought from my local independant book seller, how do i prove I bought it, how do I prove that this isn't just a receipt that my mate got when he bought his book. Or a recipt that someone has scanned up online and let anyone use to get there own copy? Physical books are not an electronic product that can be easily tied to an owner.
1- How do you manage it, if you are printing a code in every book then you have increased costs of printing a unique page in every book (a real cost) and ensuring no 2 books have the same code. 2- How do you stop someone going into a bookshop, opening the book to said code page, and entering the code there and then, then walking out? 3- The cost of porting the rules into a digital format has to be paid for somehow, this is not the same as a simple PDF which is effectively a photocopy of the book, DDB is a webapp with complex development in the back end to replicate the various rules of DnD so, either you remove the free to use tier, or you increase the other tiers, or you charge more per book in which case you are charging people for somethign they may never use if they do not use DDB. 4- What if you only want the online content, do you then get the physical book for free, or do you pay for it at a later date, enter the code and get a refund? 5- If you put a piece of paper in every book and then seal it, in this day and age, is that really what we want from a company, adding more plastic, not taking it away? 6- If you put it on the book sellers to do the digital process and supply the code then how do you manage this in every store that sells DnD books?
Could some of these issues be solved by having the cashier attach codes to the books at the checkout?
1- How do you manage it, if you are printing a code in every book then you have increased costs of printing a unique page in every book (a real cost) and ensuring no 2 books have the same code. 2- How do you stop someone going into a bookshop, opening the book to said code page, and entering the code there and then, then walking out? 3- The cost of porting the rules into a digital format has to be paid for somehow, this is not the same as a simple PDF which is effectively a photocopy of the book, DDB is a webapp with complex development in the back end to replicate the various rules of DnD so, either you remove the free to use tier, or you increase the other tiers, or you charge more per book in which case you are charging people for somethign they may never use if they do not use DDB. 4- What if you only want the online content, do you then get the physical book for free, or do you pay for it at a later date, enter the code and get a refund? 5- If you put a piece of paper in every book and then seal it, in this day and age, is that really what we want from a company, adding more plastic, not taking it away? 6- If you put it on the book sellers to do the digital process and supply the code then how do you manage this in every store that sells DnD books?
Could some of these issues be solved by having the cashier attach codes to the books at the checkout?
In theory yes, but a store like Barnes and Noble isn't going to do that for every WotC book sold from now until D&D goes away. That's fine at small stores, but not really viable with major ones.
The store in my town I buy D&D books from has one of those really old calculators with the roll of paper they use at checkout. You want that guy to have to make a "D&D Beyond Gift Card"? That's just not going to happen.
Sure that might be a niche case, but there are a lot of people that like to support their local game store, and it seems like putting it on the book seller will unfairly burden some small game stores.
I understand wanting this to happen, and I've been trying to think it through, however it's just... not as easy as some people would want to believe for this particular kind of product.
Wizards has also said they don't want to do anything that would stop people from being able to look through the physical books at the store, because the art and whatnot can be a big selling point. People are less likely to want to buy it without leafing through, and so individually-wrapped books go against how Wizard thinks the books sell.
I'd absolutely love it if this turns out the same way it works with my Marvel comics. Every Wednesday I hit up my local comic book shop to pick up my books and chat with the owner for a bit. Then when I get home I peel off the little stickers, put in the codes on Marvel's website, and the "free" digital copies get added to my account so I can download and read them in the Marvel app on my Android tablet.
If, in some months or a year from now or whenever this all gets worked out, I get to buy a physical 5E book, peel off a little sticker, and get a free/discounted copy on DDB, that would be rad. But right now it seems like it's much too soon to know what's going to happen. I'd rather not set expectations for myself and find out later the reality of the situation is considerably less exciting.
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Actually if you buy the Kindle version of a book you get the audible one at a discount. All Amazon I know but it's a thing.😁
The fact that it's all Amazon is the key point. Paizo throws in free .pdf versions of the books for subscribers too. That's easy to arrange since it's one and the same company selling both versions of the product. DDB not being in the same company tree as WotC is the big wrench in the plan here.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
That was my point. Same companies can do that. Plus let's all be real here. If you want to use DDB you are going to buy the digital book there. If you still want the physical version because you're like me and you have to have it on your shelf. You are going to buy that too. You will buy both. You know you want to. Muahahahahahaha.
Will this be changing with the new partnership of dndbeyond and Wizards of the Coast? I know people who have many books purchased but don't use dndbeyond because they don't want to purchase the same book twice
Too early to know any details. I'm sure this will be fleshed out in the months to come.
I don't think we're going to have a solid answer on this for a while, and definitely not today. I'm hoping for bundle deals in the future, but we'll see.
It literally just happened, we don't have any information on anything besides the fact WotC bought them.
Not to be a total pessimist, but the press release points out that DDB served as a significant source of revenue for Hasbro, so I don't see why a major corporation would buy a prize cow just to take less milk. But I've been wrong before. I didn't think this acquisition was going to happen in the first place, so take what I say with the tiniest grain of salt. Just trying to look at things realistically.
^This^
Plus, if you buy Fallout 4 on Steam, you don't get discounts or free copies on Epic, GOG, or the consoles ... same concept. It's a different medium, and each separate medium will require a separate purchase.
Just like you don't get a discount on another physical copy if you buy it from multiple stores ...
The press release did NOT say Beyond is a signficant source of revenue, in fact, it is quite the opposite. Hasbro said Beyond's aqcuisition will be immaterial to revenue this year. They are saying that Beyond is one source of revenue that is growing fast though. They did say it will gradually increase EPS in the future, and they seem to expect the impact as soon as next year, but they did not say whether it would be material or not, so whatever increase in profits might still be negligible in the near future.
"... Over the last three years, the royalty paid to Hasbro by D&D Beyond has represented a significant contribution to the fastest growing source of revenue for DUNGEONS & DRAGONS... The transaction will be funded out of cash on hand and is expected to be immaterial to revenue and earnings per share in 2022 and accretive to earnings per share in fiscal year 2023 and beyond..."
Basically, if Hasbro's revenue is $100 and royalties from Beyond is $0.02 in 2019, $0.04 in 2020, and $0.08 in 2021, royalties from Beyond is basically chump change, BUT, it is growing very fast.
But yeah, I do not see Wizards bundling physical and digital books together anytime soon. I think boxed sets are more likely to have some sort of physical and digital bundle since there is precedent for that with the Essentials Kit, but even then, I do not think this will be a standard practice.
Check Licenses and Resync Entitlements: < https://www.dndbeyond.com/account/licenses >
Running the Game by Matt Colville; Introduction: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-YZvLUXcR8 >
D&D with High School Students by Bill Allen; Season 1 Episode 1: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52NJTUDokyk&t >
Microsoft do this with Smart Delivery, allowing people to buy games for their Xbox One and get a free upgrade for the newer Xbox. With D&D Beyond being first party now it probably can be done. Now whether Hasbro decide to do it or not, deciding its far more profitable to sell physical and digital completely seperately, is another matter entirely. To borrow from the similarities of video games, the demographic has long shown it's willing to pay multiple times for the same product.
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
I'm sorry if I'm misreading the quote you posted, but here's where my emphasis was when reading it:
"Over the last three years, the royalty paid to Hasbro by D&D Beyond has represented a significant contribution to the fastest growing source of revenue for DUNGEONS & DRAGONS."
That lead me to believe that the amount of money that DDB was bringing in is what made it an attractive purchase.
The part of it being "immaterial to revenue and earnings per share in 2022" read to me as meaning this would not impact earnings reporting in 2022 (which comes off to me as measured expectations for stock holders, basically saying don't expect to see your stock value rise simply because of this any time super soon), but where it says "accretive to earnings per share in fiscal year 2023 and beyond" came off to me as saying "If there will be any growth in your stock value because of this, this is the soonest you should expect to see it."
Sorry if I read that wrong, I'm definitely not an accountant by any stretch. Just wanted to clarify my understanding in the event that I can learn something new today.
I would say that statement means that WOTC is making real hard cash from DDB, enough to warrant them spending 148 million buying them, vs building there own version.
As for linking physical books to the digital product, while nothing has been announced I doubt it will happen for a few reasons.
1- How do you manage it, if you are printing a code in every book then you have increased costs of printing a unique page in every book (a real cost) and ensuring no 2 books have the same code.
2- How do you stop someone going into a bookshop, opening the book to said code page, and entering the code there and then, then walking out?
3- The cost of porting the rules into a digital format has to be paid for somehow, this is not the same as a simple PDF which is effectively a photocopy of the book, DDB is a webapp with complex development in the back end to replicate the various rules of DnD so, either you remove the free to use tier, or you increase the other tiers, or you charge more per book in which case you are charging people for somethign they may never use if they do not use DDB.
4- What if you only want the online content, do you then get the physical book for free, or do you pay for it at a later date, enter the code and get a refund?
5- If you put a piece of paper in every book and then seal it, in this day and age, is that really what we want from a company, adding more plastic, not taking it away?
6- If you put it on the book sellers to do the digital process and supply the code then how do you manage this in every store that sells DnD books?
In order to be able to get the free upgrade I either have to own the physical disc of the game which I need in my Xbox to play said game,, or have downloaded it and paid for it online, and it is on my account. That is much easier to prove then having a paper copy of a thing I bought from my local independant book seller, how do i prove I bought it, how do I prove that this isn't just a receipt that my mate got when he bought his book. Or a recipt that someone has scanned up online and let anyone use to get there own copy? Physical books are not an electronic product that can be easily tied to an owner.
Could some of these issues be solved by having the cashier attach codes to the books at the checkout?
In theory yes, but a store like Barnes and Noble isn't going to do that for every WotC book sold from now until D&D goes away. That's fine at small stores, but not really viable with major ones.
What about it makes it nonviable? Isn't it the same principle as having to get a gift card activated at the checkout?
The store in my town I buy D&D books from has one of those really old calculators with the roll of paper they use at checkout. You want that guy to have to make a "D&D Beyond Gift Card"? That's just not going to happen.
Sure that might be a niche case, but there are a lot of people that like to support their local game store, and it seems like putting it on the book seller will unfairly burden some small game stores.
I understand wanting this to happen, and I've been trying to think it through, however it's just... not as easy as some people would want to believe for this particular kind of product.
Wizards has also said they don't want to do anything that would stop people from being able to look through the physical books at the store, because the art and whatnot can be a big selling point. People are less likely to want to buy it without leafing through, and so individually-wrapped books go against how Wizard thinks the books sell.
Given dndbeyonds recent acquisition by wotc, does anyone think this might be possible now? Linking books to dndbeyond, I mean.
Supreme Cat-lover Of The First Grade
I AM A CAT PERSON. /\_____/\
She/her pronouns please. (=^.^=)
I'd absolutely love it if this turns out the same way it works with my Marvel comics. Every Wednesday I hit up my local comic book shop to pick up my books and chat with the owner for a bit. Then when I get home I peel off the little stickers, put in the codes on Marvel's website, and the "free" digital copies get added to my account so I can download and read them in the Marvel app on my Android tablet.
If, in some months or a year from now or whenever this all gets worked out, I get to buy a physical 5E book, peel off a little sticker, and get a free/discounted copy on DDB, that would be rad. But right now it seems like it's much too soon to know what's going to happen. I'd rather not set expectations for myself and find out later the reality of the situation is considerably less exciting.