D&D 5E D&D Next Approximate Release Date?

iwarrior-poet · May 28, 2013

My deepest apologies if this question has been answered previously, or nixed from the forums in general. I didn't see any stickies (do these forums have stickies anymore?) addressing the topic.

Does anyone know if WoTC has an approximate release date for D&D Next? Does anyone have an educated guess? It seems like they are taking a LOOOOONG time. The transition from 3.5e-->4e didn't take this long. Did the transition from 2e-->3e?
Thanks for any responses.

Morrus · May 28, 2013

No, nobody knows.

Though I'd argue that the thing they're releasing at GenCon almost qualifies as a D&DNextv1.0 release.

iwarrior-poet · May 28, 2013

Thanks Morrus. I am very hopeful about D&D Next, but I am worried too. (for reasons everyone has already talked about a zillion times, and are not worth getting into on this thread).

delericho · May 28, 2013

iwarrior-poet said:
Does anyone know if WoTC has an approximate release date for D&D Next?

Almost certainly. It's very doubtful they would have started on this process without a notion of how much it would cost, and that cost is directly related to the length of time involved.

They have not, however, made the date public.

Does anyone have an educated guess?

GenCon 2014 seems to be the most popular guess. It makes a certain amount of sense - they'll no doubt be doing a massive "40th Anniversary" thing at that con, so releasing then makes sense.

However, an alternate possibility is that they release a month or two before GenCon, allowing them to get the big push for a new edition and then a second big push for the anniversary. Plus, it allows for more people to actually be playing the game at the Con.

It seems like they are taking a LOOOOONG time. The transition from 3.5e-->4e didn't take this long. Did the transition from 2e-->3e?

IIRC, the public transition from 3e -> 4e was about 10 months (from GenCon to the following June), but they'd been working on the new edition for some time in the background. Publicly, the transition from 2nd Ed to 3e took about a year (Dragon did "Countdown" articles along the way), but again, WotC were probably working on it in the background from the moment they acquired D&D.

Personally, I'm glad they're taking the time. Although I'd very much like to have the new books and the new system to admire, we're more likely to get a good product if they wait until it's ready. I just hope they don't get rushed into a release by financial realities at Hasbro.

Blackwarder · May 28, 2013

Seven months, two weeks, five days, 22 hours and 14 minutes from right now.

Warder

TerraDave · May 28, 2013

In the Forbes interview (linked on the front page) Mearls basically said there is no planned date. Its done when it is done.

Iosue · May 28, 2013

I'd bet a year's salary they have a tentative date decided, if only for their internal timetables. But the last thing they want to do is announce anything until they are sure they can deliver. Gamers, having been burned many a time, are not forgiving when announced release dates are not fulfilled, and the last thing WotC wants to do is start off their new edition with a delay.

CAFRedblade · May 28, 2013

Since they mentioned at last year's GenCon that it'd be approximately a two year playtest cycle, I'd suspect (or perhaps hope) a release shortly before, or at GenCon 2014.

minor edit on: "it's" to "that it'd"

Texicles · May 28, 2013

I don't think DDN is really taking an inordinately long time. It's just that the ratio of time spent publicly developing is greater than in the past. This is a bit of an experiment for WotC. As has been said countless times, it's pretty important for 5e to be good, both for WotC and D&D fans. Enter an extensive public playtest and feedback-gathering strategy.

It actually seems like the folks at WotC have taken some notes from Blizzard on development strategy. Love or hate their titles, there's a company who knows how to develop and market a game. Lengthy public beta tests (which are truly betas, not just demos) and release dates of "when it's ready" or "soon" have been working for them for nigh on a decade and, IMO, adopting a similar strategy will prove to be beneficial for 5e in more ways than one.

That said, I'm in complete agreement with others who have said GenCon '14 as a probable release date (though delericho's suggestion of a couple months earlier is also pretty plausible). "When it's ready," is good for development, but target times are still a necessity for a business.

GX.Sigma · May 28, 2013

Gen Con 2014 seems absurdly optimistic. The rules are nowhere near finished, the art is quite a ways off, and the story elements aren't in place. How long does it take to typeset and lay out a book? How about three books and a boxed game? How long does it take to order the art and get it all back? How long does it take to write the manuscript(s)? How long does it take to print all the copies and distribute them?