El Mahdi
Muad'Dib of the Anauroch
I'm willing to give WoTC the benefit of the doubt until they release a statement about what's really happening and why. I'll avoid making any conjecture or ascribing any motives until I hear what they have to say.
But, I do have to say that whatever is happening, this IS yet another PR screwup by WoTC. Have they not learned anything in the last year? If a company wants to avoid alienating customers, and avoid all the trouble and conspiracy theories and WoTC bashing that inevitably follows, they have to get the word out FIRST. This is PR 101 guys. I don't understand how they can continually make this same mistake, over and over again, and not learn from it.
Bottom line, this should have been a release from WoTC first, explaining what they were doing and why, BEFORE customers heard it from RPGNow and BEFORE customers lost access to their downloads. Their advertising machine has been running on all cylinders since the anouncement of 4E. Their R&D has been kicking ass from the start (I don't prefer 4E myself, but I can't deny that they have made a hell of a game). They however did, initially, seriously screw up their digital initiative. But, if they have done anything worse, it's been their PR. Their Public Relations have been nothing but amateur hour from the moment 4E was released.
800 lb. Gorrila or not, they can't continue to treat their customer/fan base this way and not expect repercussions.
I'm not saying this because I want WoTC to fail. On the contrary, I want them to still be around, and still making D&D (in whatever edition) 40 or 50 years from now. But if they don't start getting their house in order when it comes to PR, I don't see how they'll be able to maintain a loyal customer/fan base for that long.
I think some of the posters here are probably correct in that, at least in the short run, this action will probably cause an increase in piracy. The sad part is, it didn't have to happen. Communicate to your customer/fan base BEFORE you take such actions, and you will seriously mitigate the amount of fallout to only the standard amount that happens with any change. Come on WoTC, this should be a no-brainer!
But, I do have to say that whatever is happening, this IS yet another PR screwup by WoTC. Have they not learned anything in the last year? If a company wants to avoid alienating customers, and avoid all the trouble and conspiracy theories and WoTC bashing that inevitably follows, they have to get the word out FIRST. This is PR 101 guys. I don't understand how they can continually make this same mistake, over and over again, and not learn from it.
Bottom line, this should have been a release from WoTC first, explaining what they were doing and why, BEFORE customers heard it from RPGNow and BEFORE customers lost access to their downloads. Their advertising machine has been running on all cylinders since the anouncement of 4E. Their R&D has been kicking ass from the start (I don't prefer 4E myself, but I can't deny that they have made a hell of a game). They however did, initially, seriously screw up their digital initiative. But, if they have done anything worse, it's been their PR. Their Public Relations have been nothing but amateur hour from the moment 4E was released.
800 lb. Gorrila or not, they can't continue to treat their customer/fan base this way and not expect repercussions.
I'm not saying this because I want WoTC to fail. On the contrary, I want them to still be around, and still making D&D (in whatever edition) 40 or 50 years from now. But if they don't start getting their house in order when it comes to PR, I don't see how they'll be able to maintain a loyal customer/fan base for that long.
I think some of the posters here are probably correct in that, at least in the short run, this action will probably cause an increase in piracy. The sad part is, it didn't have to happen. Communicate to your customer/fan base BEFORE you take such actions, and you will seriously mitigate the amount of fallout to only the standard amount that happens with any change. Come on WoTC, this should be a no-brainer!
