Dungeons and Dragons‘ parent company, Hasbro has announced it is acquiring the franchise’s leading RPG digital toolset, D&D Beyond from fan platform, Fandom for $146.3 million in cash, according to a press release.
Hasbro isn’t just getting D&D Beyond but will add veteran talent to its Wizards of the Coast team and almost 10 million registered users who use the service. The move is looking to further strengthen the company’s position in the fast-growing digital tabletop category as they “accelerate efforts to deliver exceptional experiences for fans across all platforms.” The acquisition is looking to give players the best Dungeons and Dragons in the digital space as 80 percent of fans played the game virtually last year, aided by platforms like D&D Beyond.
“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’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,” Hasbro CEO, Chris Cocks said in a press release.
Since its initial launch almost five years, D&D Beyond has been paying royalties to Hasbro which has been contributing to the Dungeons and Dragons’ fastest-growing revenue over the last three years. Fandom says it believes the acquisition is the “perfect next step for the talented D&D Beyond team” and it “can’t wait to see what this team will do next as an integral part of the D&D franchise.”
“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. The team at D&D Beyond has built an incredible digital platform, and together we will deliver the best-possible Dungeons and Dragons experience for players around the world,” president of Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming, Cynthia Williams said in a press release.
Hasbro states the transactions for the D&D Beyond acquisition will conclude sometime during the second or third quarter of 2022.
