Please don't take this the wrong way, but in how far are you now repeating WotCs marketing department? In other words is this what we know or what they say? I tend to look at actions rather then words, unless I know I can depend on someones Word. In the case of big companies, you can't really trust their Word, because what one says isn't said by someone who can promise anything (including if they even have their own job next Christmas).
What they say makes sense as a business strategy, and concurs with what they have produced via the unearthed arcana for 2024, which I have play tested. Your point is a bit vague, though. What specific assertion are you challenging?
The OGL shenanigans earlier in the year hint (to me) that there's more going on at WotC/Hasbro, even though the quickly backpedaled and made all kinds of promises. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
I'm not as confident as you that everything stays compatible, especially not in the long term, I see very little motivation on WotC to keep players happy when they can make more money. And it's not just the D&D side, just look at the sh!tstorm they produced on the Magic side of their business.
I am 100% certain that the 2024 stuff will stay compatible because I am currently using it and it is compatible, but also because it needs to be compatible to maintain DnDBeyond, which is the basis of their business model.
I feel like you are accusing me of something, especially since you kind of apologize, but I'm not sure what.
Note: The OP mentioned being able to play with old Magic cards, you can play with old D&D editions. The problem is that everyone mainstream tends to play the recent 'edition' (in the case of Magic: 'format') and your old Magic cards and D&D books are then pretty useless. Magic goes even further then that, every three months an older 'expansion' goes obsolete. I play some Magic Arena so now and then, I can't play in most active/played formats with my old Magic Arena cards, I still have them, but can only use them in a very small subset of formats and those are not exactly 'productive' (as in generating income for new cards or generating wins for the battlepass). I see WotC trying to get a similar model for D&D where they can keep 'selling' you new stuff every three months for the next couple of decades...
I got into Magic in 1994, then quit in '96. However, I recently bought some of the starter sets to play with my kid, and it didn't seem fundamentally different to me. I could still use my old cards.
With regards to D&D, there is much less compatibility between the rules from 1994 and the current rules. That's the whole point of switching from the old editions model: to make it so that they can keep selling you stuff for decades without you feeling like you have to change to a new game.
D&D/WotC has a bad, bad reputation when it comes to automation, long term support, computer programs, games, etc. The response by Larian regarding the recent layofs and a whole host of cancelled D&D computer games doesn't fill me with confidence either. If WotC has it's own VTT, great for the people who want to buy into that eco system. I do not. There are already good ways to connect DnDBeyond to Foundry VTT through third party modules that import the stuff you have/'own' in DnDBeyond, including character sheets. And even if WotC puts a stop to that, there are other sources that don't depend on the DnDBeyond integration for non-SRD 5E content...
Okay? I use DnDBeyond, and I love it. It is very clear to me that WotC intends it to be the backbone of the game going forward, and they directly stated as much, during the launch of OneD&D. Bringing selected 3PP onto DDB solidifies it.
If you don't want to use it, or the integrated VTT, then don't? I don't work for WotC.
I honestly don't care if WotC is 'fine', WotC/Hasbro is a huge multinational that I don't much care for. I don't hate it, I don't love it, I just couldn't care less. No, what I'm talking about is more the effect WotC decisions have on the players directly or via third parties. And moving to another business model is worisome at best... A subscription model vs. a buy model, that can be great, but it depends on the pricing, what you get, how you get it and the dependibility of the party offering that subscription. I'm not a fan of DnDbeyond, nor do I have much fate in WotC as a serviceprovider, especially not long term.
Okay? Your tone seems kind of hostile, and I'm not sure why. I think DDB is the best value available for my entertainment dollar, and it isn't close. For 6 bucks/month, all of my players in three campaigns have full access to all of my WotC stuff (and now some 3PP stuff). And it saves me hours in prep time each week. But if it doesn't work for you, or you don't see the value, then that's awesome. Everyone has their own situation.
I was analyzing and explaining my opinion on why the 2024 changes are not like previous edition changes, and the implications, again as I see them, for the game going forward.
