Dungeons and Dragons has come a long way since its debut 50 years ago.
After decades as the epitome of nerd culture, the popular tabletop game has broken through into the mainstream, thanks in part to the success of the Netflix mega-hit series “Stranger Things” and the best-selling video game “Baldur’s Gate 3.”
In fact, D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast saw annual revenue increase from $761 million in 2019 to $1.17 billion in October 2024. The company estimates that the game has grown by 85 since its launch in 1974 Millions of people played – a number that corresponds to the population of Germany.
“If you had told me that number when I was younger, I would have laughed,” Jess Lanzillo, who is responsible for the game’s design and development, tells CNBC Make It. “I would have been overwhelmed.”
But Wizards of the Coast isn’t the only company that has benefited from D&D’s new mainstream success. Brooklyn game store The Last Place on Earth raised nearly $110,000 in 2024 by hosting D&D nights.
The popularity of the face-to-face events helped turn around the fortunes of a company that had problems due, among other things, to its opening shortly before the start of the Corona lockdowns. About 50% of the shop’s revenue comes from D&D.
“Dungeons and Dragons really saved the business,” says owner Whitney Wolfe.
Whitney Wolfe (center) owns Last Place on Earth, a board game cafe in Brooklyn that hosts popular Dungeons & Dragons nights.
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The game’s popularity has been fueled by a cottage industry of streaming shows and podcasts in which people play D&D campaigns in real time. One of the shows, “Critical Role,” has brought in millions of dollars in tips and advertising revenue.
In fact, it’s become so popular that it was able to raise over $11 million on Kickstarter to fund an animated TV pilot. This show, The Legend of Vox Machina, will soon be releasing its fourth season on Amazon Prime.
Another show, “Dimension 20,” sold out the legendary Madison Square Garden, with fans spending an average of $119 to watch comedians play the game on stage.
“What really makes (D&D) work,” says Dr. Emily Friedman, a professor at Auburn University, “is the intellectual property generated outside of the Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro ecosystems.”
For the full story of how Dungeons and Dragons became a global phenomenon, watch the CNBC Make It video.
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