Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: the Gathering publisher Wizards of the Coast has been placed on a list of the world’s most innovative companies, appearing in US business magazine Fast Company’s annual ranking of 540 firms that are “reshaping industries and culture”. While not making it as one of the publication’s top 50 ‘World’s Most Innovative Companies’ for 2023, Wizards ranked fourth in the gaming sector, coming just behind EA Sports, Sorare, and the sector winner FromSoftware.
According to Fast Company, Wizards of the Coast deserves its position as fourth “most innovative” gaming company for its work expanding DnD into new digital and physical areas, and for pushing the tabletop RPG further into mainstream culture.
Among Wizard’s achievements in the past year, Fast Company points to the acquisition of DnD Beyond for $146 million in April and the launch of school-based educational program D&D for All in September. Fast Company also notes that Wizards of the Coast is parent company “Hasbro’s most profitable subsidiary”. Indeed, as Wargamer has previously reported, Wizards’ Q4 performance was strong, despite a dismal overall showing for Hasbro which has led to significant layoffs.
Fast Company expects Dungeons and Dragons to reach even more mainstream crowds with the upcoming DnD movie, which arrives March 31. From the trailers, DnD Honor Among Thieves not only seems full of witty banter to rival Marvel’s best movies, but also rings true to the DnD experience.
Notably, the recent DnD OGL debacle, where Wizards attempted to change its third party licensing terms, then rolled back plans amidst immense backlash, is not touched upon in the entry.
Magic: The Gathering is also strangely absent from the analysis. MTG became a $1 billion brand in 2022, topping its previous best year in 2021, but doesn’t get more than a mention here.