Audible, Inc., the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable
audiobooks and other spoken-word content, today announced the release of The
Legend of Drizzt: The Collected Stories. Each of the twelve stories
in the collection about the iconic Dungeons & Dragons dark
elf Drizzt Do’Urden is narrated by a different actor; the eclectic group
of performers includes Sean Astin, Michael Chiklis, Felicia Day, David
Duchovny, Tom Felton, Greg Grunberg, Dan Harmon, Ice-T, Danny Pudi,
Melissa Rauch, Wil Wheaton and Al Yankovic. R. A. Salvatore, the New
York Times bestselling author of the collection, as well as more
than 30 Drizzt novels, has recorded an introduction to the audiobook.
For the next 40 days, in honor of the 40th anniversary of Dungeons
& Dragons, the stories will be available as free downloads at
Audible.com, either individually or as a collection, at www.audible.com/d&d.
“I've been a fan and gamer since I was a kid, and to this day it
consumes me,” said Greg Grunberg. “Role-playing games were the beginning
of acting for me. Games have always been a part of my life; even today I
have my own channel on Twitch called SocialTronLive. So for me to be
involved in this awesome project and lend my voice was a no-brainer.”
“Thanks to the performances of these fabulous actors, listeners will be
swept up by the vividly imagined world of Dungeons & Dragons,”
said Audible EVP and Publisher Beth Anderson. “We’re excited to make
this brilliantly conceived and dramatically performed collection of
stories about one of D&D’s most beloved characters available for free to
millions of D&D enthusiasts—and to anyone who loves a good story. We
think our listeners will love the performances by this distinguished and
diverse roster of acting talent. And with more than 500 D&D novels and
story collections in our store, there is plenty more for fans to enjoy.”
“I’ve been a huge fan of R. A. Salvatore and the D&D worlds my whole
life,” said Felicia Day. “I loved being able to bring part of it to life
in this audiobook, and to channel my inner male dwarf.”
“Whether or not you are a D&D fan, this collection is marvelous
entertainment,” said Liz Schuh, Head of Licensing and Publishing,
Wizards of the Coast. “Drizzt brought to life by these fantastic
performers adds another memorable dimension to R. A. Salvatore’s
stories.”
The production is part of a partnership between Audible and Dungeons
& Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast, through which
Salvatore’s entire Drizzt catalog will be recorded in audio.
Salvatore’s first published novel, The Crystal Shard, introduced
the world to the dark elf Drizzt; since then, his books have sold more
than 15 million copies in the U.S. and have been translated into 14
languages.
Among the acclaimed actors who have performed works of literature for
Audible are Bryan Cranston, Dan Stevens, Dustin Hoffman, Jake
Gyllenhaal, Kate Winslet and Susan Sarandon. In 2013, Audible Studios
won its first Grammy Award, for its production of Janis Ian’s memoir Society’s
Child, and also won the Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year, for
Colin Firth’s performance of Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair.
Audible invented and commercialized the first digital audio player in
1997, and has since been at the forefront of the explosively growing
audiobook download segment. In 2013, Audible members downloaded an
average of more than 17 books over the course of a year, the equivalent
of close to 600 million listening hours.
ABOUT AUDIBLE, INC.
Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com,
Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium
digital spoken audio information and entertainment on the Internet,
offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every
day. Audible’s mission is to establish literate listening as a core tool
for anyone seeking to be more productive, better informed, or more
thoughtfully entertained. Audible content includes more than 150,000
audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters,
entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business
information providers. Audible is also the preeminent provider of
spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes® Store.
ABOUT WIZARDS OF THE COAST
Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS), is
the leader in entertaining the lifestyle gamer. Wizards’ players and
fans are members of a global community bound together by their love of
both digital gaming and in-person play. The company brings to market a
range of gaming experiences under powerful brand names such as MAGIC:
THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and KAIJUDO. Wizards is also a
publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times
best-sellers. For more information about our world renowned brands,
visit the Wizards of the Coast Web site at www.wizards.com.
Dungeons & Dragons, Neverwinter, their respective logos, Forgotten
Realms, and Magic: The Gathering are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast
LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. All rights reserved. Kaijudo is a
trademark of Wizards of the Coast/Shogakukan/Mitsui-Kids.
Copyright Business Wire 2014