You’ll soon be able to buy an official Dungeons and Dragons miniature with your own face on it, Wizards of the Coast teased during Hasbro’s Investor Day presentation on Tuesday. Wizards president Cynthia Williams hinted at an upcoming product, while explaining the company’s plans to market new D&D character creation and customisation options to players.
“These are key aspects of roleplaying, and they’re a highly prized element of player expression, especially in digital games, and particularly among Gen Z,” she said. She then added: “Imagine pairing that creativity and enthusiasm with a product that rewards and supports deeper customization and can even empower you to put your own face on your own D&D mini.”
Williams said this feature would use Hasbro’s “Selfie Series” technology. Released last week at Pulsecon, this tech can stick a selfie onto a personalised action figure. Stands to reason it could do the same with a D&D miniature.
While hinting at a future product, Williams didn’t go into the specifics. It’s clear though this is part of her plans to increase D&D’s paying player base by up to 30%, targeting players instead of just DMs. The president says Dungeon Masters currently make up the largest share of paying fans, despite only being 20% of the D&D audience.
It also seems to be part of D&D’s plan to lean into digital tech. First heralded by Hasbro’s acquisition of D&D Beyond (which Williams said has seen a 20% increase in registered users), this strategy can be seen in everything from new D&D hires to the focus of the game’s next edition One D&D. While this may provide new opportunities for remote games, it does also raise some concerns about monetisation.
Along with her plans for D&D, Cynthia Williams also spoke about the future of Wizards’ other big geeky brand, Magic: The Gathering. There, her strategy relies on further Universes Beyond products, tie-ins and crossovers with other big entertainment brands.
Source: Wargamer
