D&D Says Universes Beyond Is Designed To Bring In New Players, Not Push Out Existing Fans

Universes Beyond has been a major hit for Wizards of the Coast (WotC), as drawing outside intellectual properties like Final Fantasy into Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons has brought new audiences to those tabletop experiences. But what about the core games that serve as a foundation for Universes Beyond? There is some concern amongst the fandom that Universes Beyond could delay or replace original core D&D rulebooks and campaigns, but WotC says that the classic side of the franchise is still its top priority. "A lot of the goal for it on our side was those new audiences," head of Dungeons & Dragons Dan Ayoub said to GameSpot's Jessica Cogswell at Gen Con. "There is certainly the fandom of, 'Oh cool, I want to play in Azeroth.' There is absolutely that layer. But a lot of things we want to do—and one thing that I am really passionate about—is bringing new players in. Role-playing games have been a huge part of my life, to my benefit. How do you ease that movement for people? It helps when people say, 'I know Azeroth,' or, 'I know Star Wars,' making it a little easier to get into it." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZWVrugrxJ8 Ayoub added that third-party crossovers are…