Maybe part of that is, post-COVID people are still a little wary of going to theaters, and part is probably a slender remnant of nerd-phobia where some people who loved LOTR and GOT still won’t watch a D&D flick, and a tinier part is probably people who watched the first D&D movie (with Jeremy Irons! JEREMY IRONS!!) and swore they’d never get burned again…
I do, I seriously do wonder how much of that can be laid at the foot of “they tried to change the OGL and every deep D&D nerd got pissed as hell.”
It’s not just some guy with a little DM’s Guild shop skipping the film, but how much was “Oh, a D&D movie? I’ll ask my Extremely D&D friend Les their opinion” and Les was like “DO NOT FUCKEN WATCH THAT BULLSHIT OR YOU’RE UNINVITED FROM MAH WEDDING!”
I’m reminded of New Coke though, which some of you may be too young to recall. See, Coca-Cola — the world’s most popular soft drink, a brand synonymous with “soft-drink” in some places — had the option of “keep on keeping on profitably” or “try a big move for more $$$” and of course, they tried the big move.
Everyone made fun. (Though, spoilers, they switched back and came away from it OK.) But now I realize that the nature of corporate structure was such that they HAD to make the big risk/low percentage/high reward move. No executive can defend a multimillion dollar paycheck when all they do is say “Do what we’ve always done.” They probably can’t even say that to THEMSELVES.
My wife and I went and saw it. It was that brief moment where they caved/apologized for the OGL nonsense and sending the friggin' Pinkertons to threaten someone because of a screw up on Hasbro's side of things.
@Greg Stolze Honestly- I was the D&D nerd encouraging people to let it fail - since I want D&D to fail as a brand, because WotC has been really bad stewards of the hobby (imo). But honestly, if they hadn't done the OGL thing a few months before the movie - I probably wouldn't have been that mad.
It's just amazing that they didn't see that people would be mad about the OGL so much that they did a move that big right before a move as risky as a movie. It definitely points to WotC not knowing that the OGL thing would be that big.
I have always been a huge D&D fan, but haven't seen the movie yet. I've heard it's entertaining and will eventually, prob when I can get it from the public library.
I think most long time D&D fans went and saw it. The OGL thing def left a bad taste in people's mouth, I wonder how much word of mouth promotion never happened because of it. How much enthusiasm was subtly stiffled. How things would have been different if the people that pay closest attention to D&D had just felt better about the brand at that time.
Prob the John Wick and Mario Bros thing, though. That makes sense, for sure...
@JunkyardTornado As a game design professional who has been out of the D20 space for years, "not having to pay attention to D&D" sounds impossibly luxurious.
I don't want to be a D&D hater, but also, it would be great if Hasbro would at least meet me halfway on that.
Greg Stolze
•2/x
Greg Stolze
•It’s not just some guy with a little DM’s Guild shop skipping the film, but how much was “Oh, a D&D movie? I’ll ask my Extremely D&D friend Les their opinion” and Les was like “DO NOT FUCKEN WATCH THAT BULLSHIT OR YOU’RE UNINVITED FROM MAH WEDDING!”
3/x
Greg Stolze
•I’m reminded of New Coke though, which some of you may be too young to recall. See, Coca-Cola — the world’s most popular soft drink, a brand synonymous with “soft-drink” in some places — had the option of “keep on keeping on profitably” or “try a big move for more $$$” and of course, they tried the big move.
4/x
Greg Stolze
•5/x
Greg Stolze
•All they had to do was NOT FUCK UP for like four months until after the movie was out.
But of course, the fuckup was built in. It was part of the broad move from “a mere game” to “A LIFESTYLE BRAND!!1!”
It was part of that high reward move that they did not grasp was big risk and low percentage.
6/6
Jeff
•silverwizard
It's just amazing that they didn't see that people would be mad about the OGL so much that they did a move that big right before a move as risky as a movie. It definitely points to WotC not knowing that the OGL thing would be that big.
Martijn Vos
•I didn't know it didn't make back its money. I saw it in theatre and enjoyed it a lot.
Greg Stolze
•Jim Rossignol
•JunkyardTornado
•I think most long time D&D fans went and saw it. The OGL thing def left a bad taste in people's mouth, I wonder how much word of mouth promotion never happened because of it. How much enthusiasm was subtly stiffled. How things would have been different if the people that pay closest attention to D&D had just felt better about the brand at that time.
Prob the John Wick and Mario Bros thing, though. That makes sense, for sure...
Greg Stolze
•I don't want to be a D&D hater, but also, it would be great if Hasbro would at least meet me halfway on that.
Greg Stolze
•