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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MoxieFu" data-source="post: 5026204" data-attributes="member: 41849">I understand how TSR split the markets back before they were bought out, but that is hardly the situation we have today. Using myself and my friends as an example, none of us are buying anything from WotC now. WotC has totally discarded us as customers, they don't want our business because we aren't 4e players. I don't think anyone can deny that the market now is fragmented. WotC has decided that they are only going to work on one fragment. It may be the biggest fragment, but the other fragments will add up. To use another analogy similar to the New Coke comparison I think of IBM. Back in the mid 80's other companies like Compaq were producing products similar to IBM and gaining market share. Since IBM wanted 100% of the market they produced a new line of computers with a new, incompatible architecture called MicroChannel in order to force customers to buy their products. Compaq decided to create a new architecture that was  an estension of the old one and ensure it was as compatible with the old architecture as they could possible make it. Also they decided to let other companies use it as well.Customers already had an installed base of computers and wanted to buy new machines that would work with what they already had. When a customer has invested significant money into a durable product, they don't want to just throw it all away and get something new that won't work with what they have unless it's something like a car, or a house. In the case of those two items they sell or trade in their installed base for money to apply to the cost of the new purchase. I don't know many gamers that trade in everything they own in a previous edition or sell it in order to buy the new edition. Maybe they will do this with books dealing primarily with crunch, but not the flavor material. (Sorry I can't stand calling it fluff - makes it sound unnecesary)IBM chose to force customers to buy only from them and the market responded. The customers chose David over Goliath.</blockquote>

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