Dungeons and Dragons Fans Call for Boycott of Honor Among Thieves Movie (2024)

Tabletop roleplaying fans are calling for a boycott of Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. With Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast currently under scrutiny for controversial actions, the success or failure of the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons film could impact the game as well.The boycott is being called because of Wizards of the Coast’s recent decision to change the Open Game License in One D&D. Rumors, statements, and insider leaks showed Dungeons and Dragons was trying to revoke the OGL, imposing new restrictions and control over third-party creators. This has caused players to cancel their D&D Beyond subscriptions en masse, and has pushed other TTPRG publishers to distance themselves from Wizards of the Coast.RELATED: Rumor: Dungeons and Dragons May Introduce a Subscription System for One D&DNow, some players are suggesting their fellow fans should boycott the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves film. Redditor and D&D fan SuperFunPop compiled a long post showing why it could be more effective than players realize. They explain that in February 2022, Activist Investor, who owns 2.5% of Hasbro's shares, brought forth the idea of spinning off Wizards of the Coast into a separate company. Considering the Dungeons and Dragons producer makes a reported estimate of 70% of Hasbro’s profits, it obviously didn't want to do that.

However, almost every Hasbro shareholder meeting since then has centered around Wizards of the Coast–invariably leading to its recent profit-driven decisions with Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. The OGL changes have been a hot topic, even outside the gaming world. It is no exaggeration to say many eyes in the business world are on Wizards of the Coast right now.

That is why a boycott of Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves could be devastating to Hasbro. SuperFunPop explains the upcoming movie is its chance to break into Hollywood with D&D and make huge profits. If the movie does poorly, talk of the spinoff of Wizards of the Coast could return–something Hasbro wants to avoid. This has caused Hasbro to be even more beholden to its shareholders than usual.

To that end, many believe boycotting Honor Among Thieves may be the ticket to forcing Dungeons and Dragons to give up on its attempts to change the OGL. If enough players threaten to boycott the movie, Hasbro shareholders may force Wizards of the Coast to acquiesce to player demands. If it doesn’t, and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves performs poorly, Hasbro may end up losing Wizards of the Coast entirely in the future.

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves arrives in theaters on March 31, 2023.

MORE: The Dungeons & Dragons OGL Controversy Could Negatively Impact the Movie

Source: Reddit/SuperFunPop