D&D Beyond is officially joining the Dungeons & Dragons family over at Wizards of the Coast. Hasbro, which owns the D&D publisher, has acquired the very popular digital toolset from Fandom. Hasbro and Fandom announced the news in a Business Wire press release. The former is scooping up D&D Beyond for a whopping $146.3 million in cash.
First launched in 2017 and operated by Fandom since 2019, D&D Beyond boasts more than 10 million players. In an announcement on their site Wizards of the Coast noted how crucial the digital toolset and game companion has been for D&D players during the pandemic. In joining Wizards of the Coast, it certainly begs the question of what the future holds for D&D Beyond. But Wizards of the Coast made it clear that it’ll continue to support D&D Beyond. “The purchases you’ve made, the characters you’ve created, and the campaigns you’ve run aren’t going anywhere,” the company wrote. This will certainly bring relief to the millions using D&D Beyond.
“D&D Beyond has been one of our most valuable partners in the digital space for the past six years and we’re excited to bring their best-in-class talent onto our team,” said Cynthia Williams, president of Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming, in a statement. “The team at D&D Beyond has built an incredible digital platform, and together we will deliver the best-possible Dungeons & Dragons experience for players around the world.”
The acquisition is a giant move in the D&D world. But it makes sense that Hasbro wants in on D&D Beyond. The toolset and game companion has been an crucial asset to Hasbro through royalties. And it’s done so for the last several years. As the press release notes, the royalties D&D Beyond pays “represented a significant contribution to the fastest growing source of revenue for Dungeons & Dragons.”
So what does this acquisition mean? According to the release:
The strategic acquisition of D&D Beyond will deliver a direct relationship with fans, providing valuable, data-driven insights to unlock opportunities for growth in new product development, live services and tools, and regional expansions. As part of Wizards, the brand’s leadership will soon be able to drive a unified, player-centric vision of the world’s greatest role-playing game on all platforms.
Both the Hasbro and Fandom Board of Directors have approved the sale. This means the sale will likely close during the second or third quarter in 2022. Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast are naturally very excited for this new era. Hasbro will finally have D&D and D&D Beyond under one roof. But we’re very curious about what it means for players and fans.