D&D 4E 4e interview with Scott Rouse

[Relique du Madde]

Is it just me or does $2.5 million seem like a really small amount for marketing, especially if they are including some TV spots?

You mean like these?

Old TSR 1st Edition (?) DnD TV Spot
DnD For Dummies Commercial
German Language4 DnD Board Game TV Spot
English Language DnD board Game TV Spot

 

[Jack99]

"...decided to spend" sounds an awful lot like "...that's all we could scrape up."

The timing of 4e is a gamble. The community didn't clamor for it. They want to soft-sell a new edition this way?

Doesn't bode well. At all.

Lottsa luck, Wizards. I'm happy with 3.5

Do you have any idea how you sound, when you speak as if you know more about the RPG business than WoTC?

Your personal situation is of course your own, but stop presuming to speak on behalf on the rest of us.

 

[Kishin]

"...decided to spend" sounds an awful lot like "...that's all we could scrape up."

The timing of 4e is a gamble. The community didn't clamor for it. They want to soft-sell a new edition this way?

Doesn't bode well. At all.

Lottsa luck, Wizards. I'm happy with 3.5

Yup. Wizards is totally strapped for cash. Its not like they, I don't know, are the leader by leaps and bounds in the pen and paper industry, or were responsible for something like, say, a collectible card game that distributes, sells and is played worldwide by millions. Nor does it also yield moderately successful sales through a subsidiary boardgame line.

Oh wait.

The community clamored for fixes to numerous aspects of 3.5E. So, WoTC drafted a new edition to do just that.

The timing is a gamble how, exactly?

 

[frankthedm]

Is it just me or does $2.5 million seem like a really small amount for marketing, especially if they are including some TV spots?

Small. Shame too. rather than Scifi and G4, where geekdom is entrenched, they ought to be going for spots where they will snag more folks just outside geekdom, waiting to be enticed. Comedy central right between Daily show and Colbert Report along with some spots on the Cartoon network late evening and the Adult swim block.

 

[Kesh]

Small. Shame too. rather than Scifi and G4, where geekdom is entrenched, they ought to be going for spots where they will snag more folks just outside geekdom, waiting to be enticed. Comedy central right between Daily show and Colbert Report along with some spots on the Cartoon network late evening and the Adult swim block.

If you read the interview, you'd see that this initial ad budget & commercial are aimed at bringing in current gamers to 4e. Rouse said that later on (Septemer, if I remember right) they'll switch to advertising for a general audience.