D&D 5E What if the D&D Core outsells the revised D&D Core?

[darjr]

What would you do if you were WotC?

What do you think WotC would do?

It just struck me, what if WotC revises the core books but the originals continue to sell like they do now? What happens if they outperform the new core books? What happens if they out preform them a lot?

 

[Scribe]

I wouldn't have changed much, considering the core books are what brought people back into 5e.

I do not imagine for a minute however, that the new books will sell worse than the original core books. Consumers must consume.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

That is obvious, once the new core is available you discontinue the old core.

 

[darjr]

That is obvious, once the new core is available you discontinue the old core.

What if the new books tank then? I wonder if they'll just be called the PHB DMG and MM?

 

[Morrus]

They won’t be running both lines at the same time. They’ll stop printing the old ones. Stocks will sell through them you’ll only be able to buy the new ones.

 

[Leatherhead]

Then they can have their cake and eat it too.

They get credit for "fixing problems", continued support from people who don't care about it so much, and most importantly: Sales from sets of books (both new and old). Because all future books are going to be backwards compatible anyway, it won't appreciably effect any new books anyway.

 

[darjr]

They’ll stop printing the old ones. Stocks will sell through them you’ll only be able to buy the

And if that old stock sells better? Used ones go through the roof? There are a lot of PHB's out there. Probably in the channel too.

 

[mhl]

Agreed w others — they won’t sell two versions of the rule books, the official current version will be the new one.

Outselling the new ones suggests the old ones are being used by more people buying new books than the new ones. That would be weird — if you own the old ones maybe you don’t buy the new ones, but the majority of the new people using old rules despite the option of new ones? I’m skeptical!!

 

[Morrus]

And if that old stock sells better? Used ones go through the roof? There are a lot of PHB's out there. Probably in the channel too.

Doesn’t seem likely. And even if it does, they’re going all in on the new ones with DDB and tools and licensees and future development of at least a couple of years beyond. It won’t be something they can just undo.

 

[darjr]

Sure yea. But what if the new core tanks? Regardless?