I'd love a citation for anything you just said. Because we've discussed all these elements before numerous times over many years, and what you just said doesn't match what I've seen here. Also, your inflation calculator is not accurate either. But, let's just start with all the numbers you just mentioned.
How about, I saw numbers for the 90s (anything in the 80s IS a guestimate on my part).
But, really don't care. The hard numbers WERE published in at least one or two magazine articles in reference to the early 90s, but I cannot remember who the guys who did the interview for the articles were. It was a magazine, but unsure which one it was. I think it was a hobby magazine of some sort where they were given the numbers from the department. It should be noted though, those numbers (I believe) were twisted, so that's gross, NOT NET (big difference).
Numbers of the 23 and 27 were from TSR employees at the time. Not the bosses though.
Most everything else is guesswork. Acaeum has some of the stuff and guess work if you want to see what they have there (I haven't in recent years...sorry...so no hard source on that either).
PS: For inflation, it's a VERY rough estimate on my part based on the idea that the value of exchange doubles every 20 years. So, yeah, could be off as it's a very rough estimate on my part.
But, let's just start with all the numbers you just mentioned. Also, note that WOTC's annual revenue is well more than $200M right now by the way (MtG alone has a market cap of more than double that number right now).
You added this in, and don't have a quarrel with that. I don't even have a problem with it.
In truth, most of the stuff I don't have a quarrel with until people start making crazy claims about D&D being more prominent and widespread today than it was in the early 80s.
Even with the sales numbers I gave for the early 90s, and D&D still being in normal stores rather the simply the bookstores and specialty stores it is today, I wouldn't have a problem with someone claiming D&D is bigger today than it was in the 90s and maybe bigger than 2e.
It's when they try to claim D&D is bigger now than the 80s without really anything we can back it up on. I don't think it was, and have personal estimates to say it wasn't, but right now as far as hard numbers, I don't think we have enough to say whether it really is or isn't.
With hard numbers though...sure I can believe WotC is making a bucket load of money (MtG regularly makes an appearance in the company meetings and in the stock calls).
TSR didn't have MtG (or some of the other properties WotC has) and wasn't leveraging them. We are comparing the RPG department (and if we want to stretch, the book sales departments).
WotC was making more with MtG than TSR was with D&D by the mid 90s (and by a massive amount too!). That it is still bigger should surprise..just about...
No one?