Mercurius
Legend
This article is about a month old, so pardon me if it has already been discussed. It brings up a point that I haven't really considered all that much, that "the future of D&D is international." Chris Perkins said they're looking at South America and Asia, with Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese languages a focus. Considering that there are almost 900 million native Mandarin speakers (and over a billion speakers overall), 350 million native Spanish speakers (about the same as native English), and 200 million native Portuguese speakers, that's a lot of room for growth.
Another thing I found interesting in the article: "Turns out there's millions of people who really like books, adds Stewart. "They like the tactile feel and the art and craft of it. We don't do PDFs because it's a bad experience. That's why we're not there."
I mean, I suspected this was a factor in D&D's popularity, that people crave something less digital, something more tacticle and--I would add--imaginative, versus the simulative environments of video games. D&D is a far more human experience than video games are, both in terms of social interaction, but also in terms of physical embodiment and imaginative experience.
Anyhow, it is a very positive outlook that holds numerous avenues for discussion. One thought that came to mind is that if D&D does continue to grow, and if Wizards is successful in at least carving out strong markets in Asia and South America, there likely won't be a whiff of anything close to a "6E" anytime soon - not for years, at least, and maybe never, at least nothing more than minor revisions. The game is successful as is, and still growing - wildly more popular than anyone hoped or expected. Whereas five years ago the hope was probably a return to 3E's heyday, now they are probably entertaining dreams of a global player base of even a hundred million or more.
I know no one is expecting a 6E anytime soon, certainly not in this upward trajectory; but the focus on growth and international markets makes that all the more certain. It would be foolish to change the game's rules as millions of new players learn it every year. That said, let's say the player base continues to grow and blossoms to over 50 million over the next few years. Imagine the sales possibilities of a new set of core rulebooks. I imagine that they're already planning to come out with a new set in 2024 for the 50th anniversary that would involve new art, minor tweaks, rules cleanups, and maybe a few new bits and baubles - but nothing more than a "5.1." But in that international environment, the Player's Handbook could be a global best-seller.
A few years ago one thought that was going around was that Wizards of the Coast was leveraging D&D to be the stepping off of a media franchise; that it would eventually be the symbolic heart of a much larger media franchise, but the focus--the big money--would be on video games, movies, TV shows. What is heartening about the article is that it implies that this is no longer case, that the heart and money-maker remain the same: the pen and paper game itself.
This increasing popularity is also why whatever movie or TV show they do, they must do very well, as there could be some risk to the game's popularity and reputation if they put out a crappy film.
Anyhow, good times.
Another thing I found interesting in the article: "Turns out there's millions of people who really like books, adds Stewart. "They like the tactile feel and the art and craft of it. We don't do PDFs because it's a bad experience. That's why we're not there."
I mean, I suspected this was a factor in D&D's popularity, that people crave something less digital, something more tacticle and--I would add--imaginative, versus the simulative environments of video games. D&D is a far more human experience than video games are, both in terms of social interaction, but also in terms of physical embodiment and imaginative experience.
Anyhow, it is a very positive outlook that holds numerous avenues for discussion. One thought that came to mind is that if D&D does continue to grow, and if Wizards is successful in at least carving out strong markets in Asia and South America, there likely won't be a whiff of anything close to a "6E" anytime soon - not for years, at least, and maybe never, at least nothing more than minor revisions. The game is successful as is, and still growing - wildly more popular than anyone hoped or expected. Whereas five years ago the hope was probably a return to 3E's heyday, now they are probably entertaining dreams of a global player base of even a hundred million or more.
I know no one is expecting a 6E anytime soon, certainly not in this upward trajectory; but the focus on growth and international markets makes that all the more certain. It would be foolish to change the game's rules as millions of new players learn it every year. That said, let's say the player base continues to grow and blossoms to over 50 million over the next few years. Imagine the sales possibilities of a new set of core rulebooks. I imagine that they're already planning to come out with a new set in 2024 for the 50th anniversary that would involve new art, minor tweaks, rules cleanups, and maybe a few new bits and baubles - but nothing more than a "5.1." But in that international environment, the Player's Handbook could be a global best-seller.
A few years ago one thought that was going around was that Wizards of the Coast was leveraging D&D to be the stepping off of a media franchise; that it would eventually be the symbolic heart of a much larger media franchise, but the focus--the big money--would be on video games, movies, TV shows. What is heartening about the article is that it implies that this is no longer case, that the heart and money-maker remain the same: the pen and paper game itself.
This increasing popularity is also why whatever movie or TV show they do, they must do very well, as there could be some risk to the game's popularity and reputation if they put out a crappy film.
Anyhow, good times.
