Yep. Agreed, and better said. My ref to DMs Guild was, in my head, 5e OGL. Your additional information better reflects what I tried to communicate early in the morning before my coffee. :D
Well written Talien. As a data professional, I believe WotC has at its disposal a TON of insight available in their DM's Guild sales data that would be similar in nature to the Patreon data you site in your article. Makes me wonder if they made the same mistake ASSUMING they analyzed this data...
Interesting nugget in here. Seems even in the 80s, interest in playing higher level PCs just didn't stick... even in BECMI! Companion covered levels 15-25...
There is a vast difference between having a PDF in hand and using a service like D&D Beyond or any VTT service that sells books (e.g. Fantasy Grounds or Roll20). While a PDF certainly has value, it is produced in a vastly different fashion than a service like D&D beyond or any VTT. Those...
D's OBS/WoTC $$ Take...and a crystal ball reading
OBS takes 40% when you do not sell exclusively on OBS (which is basically DTRP and RPGNow).
OBS takes 35% if you sell a product exclusively through OBS.
Last I knew, these were the general terms, barring any recent changes to their agreements...