Dungeons & Dragons Expands Non-English Language Product Line With New Translations

Wizards of the Coast has announced plans to expand its line of non-English Dungeons & Dragons products. Later this year, Dungeons & Dragons will release new translations of its core rulebooks - the Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon's Master Guide - in French, German, Italian, and Spanish. These products, along with translated versions of the D&D Essentials Kit, will be released in September in Europe. Spanish editions will also be released in Latin America about one month later. Along with the new translations, Wizards of the Coast also announced that the new translations would have a retail price of €39.99, a decrease of roughly 10 euros that is also more aligned with the US dollar price of D&D books.

Wizards of the Coast also announced that they would start a "roughly quarterly cycle" of new releases beginning in 2022, adding more translated products, many of which will be released in non-English languages for the first time. Other languages could be added to the line in the future, with Wizards of the Coast specifically noting a Spanish version specific for Latin American residents.

Dungeons & Dragons also announced they were making a "significant long-term investment" in expanding their non-English line, which includes hiring dedicated team members to work on the products, looking into printing options outside of the US and China, completing extensive translation reviews, and collaborating with local market teams to get the new translations into the hands of players.

The new translations coincide with Wizards of the Coast resuming direct control of their localization process. That process started when Wizards of the Coast attempted to terminate their license with the previous localizer, Gale Force 9, resulting in Gale Force 9 suing Wizards of the Coast for breach of contract. Court filings revealed that Wizards of the Coast wanted to take control of the localization process due to issues involving several international editions. However, the two companies reached a settlement earlier this year, with Gale Force 9 stating that they and Wizards would continue their relationship.

The first new translations of the Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks will be released on September 24th.