Inside The Resurgence Of Dungeons & Dragons: Could It Become The Next Harry Potter? | Forbes

Wizards of the Coast, the Hasbro division that publishes the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, estimates that 50 million people have played the game since 1974, and while Hasbro does not break out D&D as a segment in its public filings, it noted that 2021 represented the game’s ninth consecutive year of growth. Arpiné Kocharyan, a UBS analyst, estimates that D&D is now responsible for $100 million to $150 million in annual revenue.

Around 40% of D&D players are now female, according to a 2020 study Wizards of the Coast conducted with market research firm Newzoo. And surprisingly for a game that’s about to turn 50, the players skew young. Helped along by a prominent role in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, 24% of D&D players are between 20 and 24 years old, with 18% in the 25-to-29 bracket and another 18% 30 to 34. Celebrities including Joe Manganiello, Deborah Ann Woll and Vin Diesel have sung the game’s praises, and D&D books frequently pop up on bestseller lists. Next year will see the release of a blockbuster D&D video game in Baldur’s Gate III—the latest in a series that has sold more than 5 million copies—plus a big-budget movie in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, starring Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez. Both properties sport official D&D licenses from Wizards of the Coast.

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