Midnight_v wrote:
I mean... Seeing pathfinder selling more than D&D has to have rang someone's bell somewhere.
There aren't any real indications that it did, to be honest. I don't think hasbro cares much about competition for D&D. For M:tG, yes, but M:tG is still ridiculously profitable, and other than the big Japanese competitors (Pokemon and Yugioh), most CCG endeavors arrive and flame out pretty quickly. But when it comes to D&D, their outlook seems to be as long as X dollars yields profit > X, they don't give two shits.
Now Collins had a panic about D&D being 'marginalized' back during early 4e, but he was being unreasonable and either bullshitting or insane in thinking that a sub 50K property could be pushed up to join Magic as a >100K property with a simple edition change, let alone a controversial one.
Hasbro picked up Wizards for Magic. A design and production budget for other things (like the latest attempt at completely plastic monster/duel/collectible CCG/cartoon/toy line) is fine, but only as long as they don't cause problems. As far as the corporate overlords are concerned, Magic justifies the existence of the WotC division, and their pet projects are only worthwhile if they have a positive balance.
This is actually a benefit in the longterm. Wizards would have a hard time letting D&D go, if it was just up to them. But Hasbro just doesn't care enough to keep it if/when 5e tanks. They'll just sell the whole ball (or just pieces of the ball), fire everyone and call it a day. It doesn't have any analogues among other Wizards or Hasbro properties, and no real reason to keep it around.
Here's an amusing thing:
https://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.asp ... c/45370000
An edition-less adventure (not even billed as D&DNext trial shit like that ghostdragon castle or whatever). Just a random adventure/setting book tagged D&D and Forgotten Realms. Apparently they're planning on doing some sort of _new_ disaster bullshit to the FR for 5e [They seem utterly incapable of what psychologists call 'learning behavior']. And apparently bringing Bhaal back, if the skull wheel (his holy symbol, I believe) is any indication.