'Dungeons & Dragons' Had Its Best Ever Year In 2019

Classic tabletop RPG Dungeons & Dragons might have been around for over 45 years now, but 2019 was its most successful year to date. Are people starting to consider the game as less "nerdy"? It's no secret that there's always been a bit of a stigma around people who play tabletop RPGs, but I like to think that stigma is fading is fast.

Whatever the reason, RPG company Wizards Of The Coast has confirmed that 2019 was the most lucrative year yet for good old-fashioned D&D. In a lengthy press release, the company boasted that this was the game's sixth consecutive year of growth, and that sales in Europe increased 65% year-on-year, more than quadrupling since 2014.

NBC

As if that wasn't impressive enough, Wizards also reported 2019 saw more than 17.5 Billion media impressions. Viewers on Twitch also reportedly watched a staggering combined 4.3 Billion minutes of D&D content, while 2 million tuned in to the D&D Live 2019 show.

Wizards also wants everyone to know that 39% of the player base now identifies as female, and that number is growing all the time. It's a shame that we're still not close to even 50% when it comes to women getting involved with the game, but I think that has a lot more to do with exclusionary attitudes than it does women genuinely not wanting to play. At least these days.

Check out an infographic charting the game's big 2019 wins below. No doubt a huge part of its success is because of the increasing number of famous faces that have been vocal about their love of D&D recently. Deborah Ann Woll, The Rock, and even Vin Diesel are just some of the famous fans helping to bust tired stereotypes about those that enjoy the game.

Wizards Of The Coast

"Dungeons & Dragons has always been a pop culture staple, offering fans opportunities for storytelling and adventuring with friends, two fundamental human needs," Wizards wrote in its press release. "In recent years, it has been massively propelled forward thanks to the combination of appearances in mainstream TV shows like South Park and Community as well as the growth of the livestreaming ecosystem, with widely popular liveplay shows like Critical Role, or High Rollers and Oxventure in the UK".

"The legendary tabletop game continues to increase in popularity: Dungeons & Dragons now has over 40 million fans worldwide, with a community that continues to grow and diversify daily!"

Topics: Wizards of the Coast