Dungeons & Dragons has been around for over 40 years, yet has never been more popular. Wizards of the Coast announced that the tabletop RPG now boasts over 50 million players.
Along with the player milestone, Wizards shared several infographics for 2020. Last year was the seventh consecutive year of growth for the game, proving the popularity of D&D fifth edition, which launched in late 2014. Dungeon Master books, as well as tie-ins to Wizards’ other big brand, Magic: the Gathering, sold very well last year, with the player-focused supplement Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything as D&D’s most pre-ordered book ever.
Community breakdown includes a 60/40 split between men and women, and a fairly even split between different age groups, including 27% of players as 35 or older.
Given the pandemic last year, online services such as D&D Beyond and Roll20 helped keep the game going, and live streaming D&D games continue to be extremely popular. The D&D Live showcase was viewed over 4 million times, and the D&D hashtag continues to grow on TikTok.
“We’re proud that Dungeons & Dragons continued to bring people together during the challenges of the pandemic, providing valuable social connection even when we couldn’t meet in person, as the brand continued to grow strongly,” said Dan Barrett, senior brand manager. “D&D is for everyone, and our growing EMEA team are excited to introduce even more new fans to our legendary world of fantasy storytelling, now and in the years to come. We are hard at work on exciting plans for the future of D&D in our region, and look forward to sharing them with you in more detail in the coming months.”
This year has already seen the release of two major books, the modular adventure book Candlekeep Mysteries and the recently released campaign setting book, Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft. In video game news, Wizards is publishing its first D&D video game with co-op action-RPG Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance releasing June 22, and Larian Studios continues to work on RPG Baldur’s Gate 3 via Steam Early Access.
