ICv2 Reports Disappointing Year For Hobby Games Channel: TTRPGs Down, D&D Declines 30%

According to ICv2, 2023 was a tough year for hobby game sales. The US and Canada market increased by just 1%, which was less than the rate of inflation, growing from $2.86 billion in 2022 to $2.89 billion in 2023.

The hobby game sales channel is defined as specialist game and card stores--it doesn't include Amazon, direct sales, etc. It does include Kickstarter.

Top Hobby Channel TTRPGs (2023)

1. Dungeons & Dragons (WotC)
2. Pathfinder (Paizo)
3. Cyberpunk Red (R. Talsorian)
4. World of Darkness (Renegade Game Studios)
5. Starfinder (Paizo)
6. Warhammer 40K (Cubicle 7)
7. Marvel Multiverse Roleplaying (Marvel)
8. Kobold 5E Books (Kobold Press)
9. Call of Cthulhu (Chaosium)
10. Pirate Borg (Free League)

The only two categories to grow in 2023 were collectibles and miniatures. All other categories--board games, card games, and roleplaying games--were down. ICv2 reports a 30% hobby store sales decline for Dungeons & Dragons specifically, citing the impending new edition and lackluster movie performance, and the tail end of a pandemic-fuelled high; they also report that while the OGL crisis of last year impacted some lifestyle gamers, newer players as a whole were oblivious to the situation. The other important element ICv2 mentioned was D&D's increasing move to digital, which impacted retail sales.

Older D&D players, says ICv2, are also migrating to other games, with Pathfinder as one of the major beneficiaries.

The last 6 years has seen much larger growth rates--partly fuelled by the pandemic--ranging from 10% to 30%. 2022 saw a 7% growth over 2021. Despite the small increase, 2023 represents the 15th year of growth for the overall market. ICv2 does predict a market decline in 2024, though.

ICv2 conducts periodical surveys and speaks to publishers, distributors, and retailers, along with publicly available company information and Kickstarter data.

 

[Reynard]

For sure. Truth is I have bought less from my local hobby store as their prices have sky rocketed and more from Amazon and places like Miniature Market and Game Nerdz that offer significant discounts. Not to mention backing things in Kickstarter.

Right. Signs point to this being a hobby store problem, not a D&D problem.

 

[AstroCat]

People say stuff like this a lot and I can't really figure out what they are talking about. Can you articulate what changed so dramatically in the last few years that makes you feel like "current 5E" isn't the same game as it was in 2014?

Everything, really. The art, mechanics, writing, quality control, "attitude", con events, there is no part of wotc that I like any more, nothing. And I used to be a "whale" supporter just a few years ago. Full on onboard, bought all the stuff, did AL con events, etc... the whole thing. Now, I would be ashamed to be part of any of it. They don't want my support anymore anyway, so be it, in fact they despise my mere existence, even though I've been playing and paying for over 40+ years. Yeah I think that alone is reason to say goodbye until a "change in management".

 

[Morrus]

30% hobby store sales decline for Dungeons & Dragons and Older D&D players, are also migrating to other games - Yep this 100% makes sense, the peak is over and the fad is dispensing, the foundational fanbase severely alienated and dispersed thanks to mean spirited spite and venom from wotc. This trend will only continue, just wait till "6e" drops, then the real "pain" begins, and rightfully so. How's that "modern audience" working out for you wotc? You could have had it all, new, old and all in-between, 2014 started strong as heck and then over the last few years, absolute awfulness at mach 10.

That's really not what the article says at all.

It cites a drop in hobby game channels only and ascribes it (1) coming off the pandemic fuelled high, (2) an increasing trend towards digital sales, (3) an impending new edition.

The rest of that is all you.

 

[Reynard]

Everything, really. The art, mechanics, writing, quality control, "attitude", con events, there is no part of wotc that I like any more, nothing. And I used to be a "whale" supporter just a few years ago. Full on onboard, bought all the stuff, did AL con events, etc... the whole thing. Now, I would be ashamed to be part of any of it.

That's all still very vague and makes me wonder if it isn't a D&D/WotC problem and might be a you problem -- in the sense that your preferences have shifted in a way that is incompatible with 5E.

 

[jerryrice4949]

People say stuff like this a lot and I can't really figure out what they are talking about. Can you articulate what changed so dramatically in the last few years that makes you feel like "current 5E" isn't the same game as it was in 2014?

What I hear is they see the game differently because they dislike WoTC. If I projected my personal feelings on every business I would have no place to eat or shop. WoTC is far from perfect and they definitely have made their fair share of mistakes but they are not monsters either and many of their employees care about the industry.

If we dug into all the KS creators I am sure we would find some of their beliefs and actions don’t meet our personal standard but they don’t get the same level of scrutiny.

 

[AstroCat]

That's all still very vague and makes me wonder if it isn't a D&D/WotC problem and might be a you problem -- in the sense that your preferences have shifted in a way that is incompatible with 5E.

It is totally a me problem, for sure. I don't like anything they are doing. Release after release just does not appeal to me at all. And it used to, like almost all of it. I'm still me, doing my thing, and they went of in a radical different direction. So to me I just keep on doing my thing and they went off somewhere else. And pretty let me know I'm not welcome any more.

 

[Morrus]

They don't want my support anymore anyway, so be it, in fact they despise my mere existence, even though I've been playing for over 40+ years.

Aside from the ridiculous hyperbole, this is reeking of the same dogwhistles you have repeatedly used in other threads. There are other places on the internet for this sort of 'rhetoric'; this is not one of them. Dial it back, please, because it's starting to get tedious.

 

[AstroCat]

That's really not what the article says at all.

It cites a drop in hobby game channels only and ascribes it (1) coming off the pandemic fuelled high, (2) an increasing trend towards digital sales, (3) an impending new edition.

The rest of that is all you.

Ok, I personally believe it is wider spread than that. Let's see how "6e" does, sales wise, digital or otherwise. It will be very interesting to see the state of "wotc d&d" in a year or so. The overall state of the hobby and the "state of wotc" are interesting to watch. I see a healthy "hobby" and an ailing, declining wotc.

 

[sevenbastard]

Baldurs Gate was huge. Honestly I know a lot of folks who are using it to fill the table top itch right now.

More hours of 5e than ever were probably played this year. Just a lot in video game form.

 

[AstroCat]

Aside from the ridiculous hyperbole, this is reeking of the same dogwhistles you have repeatedly used in other threads. There are other places on the internet for this sort of 'rhetoric'; this is not one of them. Dial it back, please, because it's starting to get tedious.

I hear you. You know what is so telling. I just spent the last week at Founders and GaryCon. The vibe and scene was so amazingly positive, the people, games, everything was just awesome. That is the hobby I know and love, and will continue to support as long as I can. My young son played in several games which was awesome and my friend's daughter even ran her first con game, all amazing stuff. It was all of the positivity of the hobby with none of the negativity.