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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CountPopeula" data-source="post: 4330807" data-attributes="member: 27250">I don't think this is necessarily true. You could argue that every industry needs a leader, but on planet Earth, that leader doesn't have to be the same. Dungeons and Dragons doesn't even have to be in print for the TRPG industry to succeed or flourish.For argument's sake, let's say my company is in complete control of an industry, and my nearest competitor sells something like 1/10th of the amount of core product I do. And let's assume that my company's name is synonymous with the industry itself, like Band-aid or Xerox. Let's further say that I use draconian licensing agreements, apply content standards to third parties, and generally act like kind of a jerk to all the small companies I deign worthy to suckle at my teat. I am the 800 pound gorilla of the industry, without me the industry would have died and faded into obscurity, I AM the industry.Now let's say I have a shiny new product, the third edition of my product. Something the entire industry has been eagerly awaiting for years. And I feel like I don't need my biggest third party publishers, they need me.Now let's say that my biggest, most influential third party partner decides to publish their new product with my competitor and not me. I have no reason to be worried, right? I mean, I'm the industry leader, I'm the brand name.Now let's say my company is Nintendo, and Square just announced Final Fantasy 7 for the Sony Playstation.Hasbro/WotC need third party publishers. Period. And the OGL assured that third party publishers were using their system. If the GSL is unacceptable to third parties, what Wizards should be afraid of isn't that someone might publish compatible material without their permission. What they need to fear is that someone will put out something really excellent that sells a big pile of books for their competition. Tengen publishing Nintendo games without a license didn't hurt Nintendo, but Square publishing Final Fantasy 7 did.Also, for the record, Nintendo did sue the crap out of Tengen for patent infringement.</blockquote>

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