DM Howard
Explorer
The brand holds that much sway over us. 'D&D' is preferable over 'Pathfinder' for a good number of those players, if both games are comparable enough to get the gaming experience out of it that they want.
Never underestimate the power of the brand.
Agreed. I always hear people either at the store or on ENworld talking about Pathfinder being their "favorite D&D". That right there shows you that there are many people that are saying "Meh, I'm busy with other stuff." But when D&DN is finally released many of those same people will be at least taking a glance at the book if not buying the core books to give it a go.
I always hear people saying "Hey wanna come play D&D with us tonight?" when they are actually referring to Pathfinder.