Record Year for D&D as Board Games Go Online

Despite limitations on in-person gatherings, Dungeons & Dragons had a monster 2020.

D&D, the tabletop board game published by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, saw sales jump 33% last year, marking the biggest year ever for the game and six consecutive years of growth, per CNBC. 

Hasbro acquired Wizards in 1999 for $325 million in stock. Wizards reported revenue of $816 million in 2020, a 24% increase from 2019. Hasbro saw revenue of $5.47 billion for the year.

D&D’s growth continued as players gravitated toward online platforms to play a game that has been part of popular culture since 1974. 

“It’s the perfect time right now for role playing, people have more time on their hands, and if you want to relax and see your friends the best way is through virtual gaming,” Satine Phoenix, former Wizards community manager, told The Wall Street Journal. 

Wizards hopes to sustain D&D’s momentum in 2021 by attracting new players. D&D saw record sales for its starter products in 2020. Now, Wizards plans to launch two D&D video games and increase its publishing rate of new books and box sets.

Last year, U.S. toy sales reached more than $25 billion, a 16% boost from the year before, according to The NDP Group.