D&D Beyond, the digital toolset for the popular role-playing game (RPG) Dungeon & Dragons, recently announced it is being acquired by Hasbro.
The $146.3 million purchase from Fandom, a San Francisco-based fan platform that has owned and operated D&D Beyond since 2019, will expand Hasbro’s capabilities in the fast-growing digital RPG industry.
Hasbro is the parent company of Wizards of the Coast, the content publisher of Dungeon & Dragons, and a longtime partner of D&D Beyond. In fact, digital Dungeon & Dragons sourcebooks created by Wizards of the Coast can be purchased on D&D Beyond.
Dungeons & Dragons, the fantasy adventure tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG), has wildly grown in popularity in recent years. The game was originally published by Tactical Studies Rules in 1974 and is now owned by Wizards of the Coast. Hype for the game resurged in 2015 thanks in large part to streaming series and podcasts like Critical Role, The Adventure Zone, and Dimension 20. What was once viewed as a nerdy game for basement-dwelling outcasts again exploded in popularity during the pandemic with online TTRPG tools like Roll20, The Homebrewery and D&D Beyond.
Founded in 2017, D&D Beyond is the go-to digital tool for most Dungeons & Dragons players. The platform allows users to quickly and easily create characters, monsters, settings and non-player characters as well as pull from digital sourcebooks and manage campaigns all online. Instead of calculating various gaming components by hand or erasing, filling out and re-erasing character stats on sheets of paper, D&D Beyond helps players and game masters (GMs) alike manage gameplay with the click of a button.
A common criticism of Dungeons & Dragons is its complicated rules. But D&D Beyond’s capabilities have made it much easier for new players to learn and jump into the game. The platform takes care of all the math needed to play and allows players and GMs to spend less time checking rulebooks and more time adventuring.
Lowering the barrier to entry is part of what has made D&D Beyond so popular. The platform has more than 10 million registered users worldwide and is largely free to use with more advanced tools and digital sourcebooks available for a monthly subscription or one-time purchase.
“The acquisition of D&D Beyond will accelerate our progress in both gaming and direct to consumer, two priority areas of growth for Hasbro, providing immediate access to a loyal, growing player base,” Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks said in a statement. “Hasbro’s gaming portfolio is among the largest and most profitable in the industry and we continue to make strategic investments to grow our brands, including in digital.”
For many fans, the acquisition is really no surprise considering D&D Beyond has sold digital access to Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks for years. In fact, in the press release announcing the acquisition, Wizards of the Coast had to clarify that D&D Beyond wasn’t actually already owned by the company.
“Dungeons & Dragons and D&D Beyond have always felt like a part of the same family,” Wizards of the Coast said. “That’s why we are excited to welcome everyone at D&D Beyond to formally join us at Wizards of the Coast, bringing together two teams dedicated to continuing to make Dungeons & Dragons easy to run and accessible to all.”
