How much money do Critical Role members make?
Introduction
With modern life being, shall we say, fairly stressful as of late, it’s easy to see why so many people all over the globe are so eager to find a form of escapism.
Escapism comes in many forms.
It can be a good book, a magazine, painting, doing puzzles, watching a movie, binge-watching a series, playing a video game, or role-playing.
Role-playing games, or RPGs, as they are commonly known, have been enjoyed for decades and, for many, are considered the ultimate form of escapism.
When we think of RPGs, there is one genre that instantly comes to mind, and that one genre is fantasy.
Thanks to authors such as George R.R Martin and, of course, JRR. Tolkien, fantasy is a genre that is now more popular than ever.
When you talk about fantasy role-playing games, however, there’s one game that rules the kingdom, and that is Dungeons and Dragons.
Dungeons and Dragons has spawned one of the most successful web streaming series in the form of Critical Role, which is what we’re going to talk about today. But how much money does Critical Role make? The answer might shock you.
What is Critical Role?
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Critical Role is a US web series that began in 2012 as a simple Role Playing Game between a group of friends and is now a multi-million dollar series with millions of loyal fans from all four corners of the earth.
Critical Role is broadcast on Twitch and YouTube and is basically a web series in which a group of voice actors play Dungeons and Dragons.
The VOD is available to subscribers on Twitch immediately after the broadcast, as it is now pre-recorded. However, before 2020, broadcasts would go live.
The show gets its name from the studio that the cast owns – Critical Role Studios.
The show features Matthew Mercer as the Dungeon Master for the other 7 cast members.
Initially, Critical Role started as a one-off game of Dungeons and Dragons as a birthday treat for voice actor Liam O’Brien.
It was such good fun that the cast switched to the Pathfinder ruleset.
Word spread and the group was approached about live-streaming them playing.
To make the streaming flow more organically, they switched from Pathfinder rules to Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.
Incidentally, fans of the show are known affectionately as ‘Critters.’
Because there are so many and because it is so popular, Critical Role is worth a lot of money. But how much money does Critical Role make? Don’t worry; we’ll get to that soon enough.
Marisha Ray, Anjali Bhimani, and Matt Mercer attend the release party for Anjali Bhimani’s debut book “I Am Fun Size, And So Are You!” – @Getty
What is Dungeons and Dragons?
Even if you aren’t hugely into your role-playing games or your fantasy genre games, chances are you will have at least heard of Dungeons and Dragons.
Dungeons and Dragons is a fantasy epic tabletop and online RPG that was first published way back in 1974.
The game is unique in that it allows each player to create their character to play, rather than a usual military formation, as is common in these types of games.
In the game, play will be overseen by a referee who is known as the Dungeon Master.
They will also be the narrator/storyteller to help set the scene for the fantasy world in which the game takes place.
They also lend their voice and play the role of the NPCs (non-playable characters) and inhabitants of the world, i.e., traveling merchants, innkeepers, peasants, etc.
Characters will come together and join forces to form a party where they will interact with each other and the NPCs in the game to solve puzzles, embark on quests, engage in battles and duels, gather treasure, and explore the lands.
As they progress, they will gain experience points, which help them to become more powerful as time goes by.
Dungeons and Dragons, or DnD as it is also known, is one of the most successful brands in history, having generated a whole bunch of merch and spinoffs, including comics, novels, merchandise, TV shows, games, and Hollywood movies.
The fact that, nearly 5 decades later, DnD is more popular than ever shows just how successful it is. It also shows exactly why Critical Role has done so well.
The Legend of Vox Machina
Mica Burton, Travis Willingham, Marisha Ray, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Sam Riegel, Liam O’Brien, Laura Bailey and Matthew Mercer speak onstage at the Prime Video Presents: The Legend of Vox Machina – @Getty
Because Critical Role has done so well, Prime Video recently commissioned an animated adult fantasy series based on Critical Role’s first campaign.
The show premiered on Amazon’s Prime Video in January 2022 and features the same voice actors from the game reprising their roles for the show itself. The show’s first ten episodes were crowdfunded via Kickstarter before Amazon renewed it for a second season.
The show takes place in the fictional land of Exandria and gets its name from the Vox Machina team, who are playing the game in the first place.
Both seasons have been huge hits with audiences and critics alike.
Matthew Mercer, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Sam Riegel, Ashley Johnson, Taliesin Jaffe, Marisha Ray, and Travis Willingham speak at Critical Role: Fireside Chat and Cast Q&A at Comic-Con International: San Diego – @Getty
How Much Money Does Critical Role Make?
Okay, so, the moment of truth, how much money does Critical Role make? Considering Dungeons and Dragons is such a smash hit, it is hardly surprising to learn that an online streaming show featuring voice actors playing the game has become such a financial hit.
In 2021, after a Twitch data leak, it was found that Critical Role Studios were some of the platform’s highest earners, making just over $9.6 million between 2019 and 2021. Because of the success of the show and the spinoffs, however, experts believe that Critical Role now generates as much as $14 million per year from Twitch alone.
In 2017, before the show really took off, however, the cast would likely earn around $1,000 per episode. Things nowadays, however, are very different.
Crowdfunding success – the inception of The Legend of Vox Machina was funded through a tremendously successful Kickstarter campaign. Originally aiming to raise $750,000, the campaign exceeded expectations and raised over $11.3 million. This record-breaking achievement was made possible by the generous contributions of 88,887 backers.
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Lee Parry is a writer and blogger originally from Manchester, UK, and he has a B.A. in Modern Languages from Manchester Metropolitan University. Parry occasionally teaches English and spends most of his free time reading.