In the midst of all the horrors that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was a stellar year for Dungeons and Dragons.
In a press release by Wizards of the Coast, they revealed many different ways the iconic tabletop RPG series has continued to grow and expand its audience. These included straightforward commercial and financial success. This has been the seventh consecutive year of growth for this brand with sales increasing 33% year-over-year globally. Furthermore, Dungeons and Dragons has over 50 million players to date, with the supplement for the game's Fifth Edition, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything being the most pre-ordered book ever in the series' history.
Wizards of the Coast also acknowledged social media and influencer presence on the series. March of 2020 is marked as an all-time peak for Dungeons and Dragons content being searched. Viewership for D&D Live 2020, a live game run with several well-known actors and celebrities, reached over four million views. Even that reliable source for short but quirky videos, TikTok, is acknowledged with videos marked with #DND taking off with over one billion views throughout that year. They also mention a rising general interest in the game thanks to materials Stay at Home, Play at Home hub.

Of course, the publisher was also acutely aware of the circumstances around that growth. Dan Barrett, the Senior Brand Management for D&D EMEA acknowledged this stating, "