On or around GenCon is the easy money.
Their first deadline is likely before, so everyone has the books for GenCon and the big release for the Con can be something else, like the Realms. And that way they can talk about what's next rather than 5e still being news.
But GenCon itself is the fall back date if they aren't quite done. They might ave a preview at GenCon and release after.
Hard date is prior to Thanksgiving. No way they go into a second holiday season without books.
Amazon said:The FORGOTTEN REALMS is the most successful and widely known DUNGEONS & DRAGONS campaign setting ever created, and it owes its existence to creator Ed Greenwood.
This 160-page hardcover book describes the campaign setting as it lives and breathes in the imagination of its creator. Through the alter ego of Elminster, Archmage of Shadowdale, Ed Greenwood presents the Realms as a setting where companies of crazed adventurers are born and have rich lives, and where they get to call the shots. In this book, Ed presents a world where friendships are forged, endless intrigues unfold, and heroes wage war against the monstrous inhabitants of famous dungeons and untamed wildernesses.
For the FORGOTTEN REALMS fan, this book provides a rare glimpse into the setting as imagined by its creator, with new information on its visible and clandestine rulers, various merchant and trade princes, the churches and mercenary companies of the Realms, renown magic-users and secret societies, adventuring companies, and the web of alliances and enmities that connect them. The book is aimed at all Forgotten Realms enthusiasts, including players of every edition of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game.
We know the big con release will not be the Forgotten Realms. That's coming this October.
I'm hoping we get lucky and see a release early in 2013.
They have said they're going to release it when it's done, and not rush it
No one will remember if it was late. Only if it was great.
June 26, 2012:Have they? Could you cite for this one, please, since it's a rather key quotation.
I thought I read/heard him say it one other time (like in an interview where someone asked him "if the next round won't come out until end of summer, how long will the playtest take?" and he says "as long as it needs to take"), but this was all I could find with a few minutes' googling.Greg Tito: How far away is the release of D&D Next?
Mike Mearls: I think a better question would be, "How long will it take to make the playtesters happy?" We don't have a date in place yet, primarily because so much of our work will be dependent on how people react in the playtest. We're definitely not making any assumptions on how things will work out.
Haven't the D&D board games been consistently successful?Problem is that the D&D business unit is currently bringing in negligible sales to Hasbro, and is investing very heavily in R&D.
Haven't the D&D board games been consistently successful?
There's also Menzoberranzan, the 1e reprints, Ed Greenwood's Forgotten Realms, the Dungeon board game, the 3.5 reprints... That's just the next few months, and all of those are pretty highly anticipated. I don't think they'll have trouble paying the bills any time soon.Sure, but when was the last one released? Months ago?
"Dungeon Command" does look like it could also do quite well. But I'd be wary of expecting it to carry the D&D brand on its own for too long.
CH: Do you have a plan on how many playtests are coming, and where it’s going?
MM: We mapped out a plan for playtesting that covers 6-8 months of playtest content. We have flexibility built in, so if for example the tactical rules go over like a lead balloon, we can loop back to it and do some more work there. We have a schedule to go from the beginning to the end, if we have more work to do, we’ll work it in.
Sure, but when was the last one released? Months ago?
"Dungeon Command" does look like it could also do quite well. But I'd be wary of expecting it to carry the D&D brand on its own for too long.