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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 6664681" data-attributes="member: 7006">In order for the game to keep going for as long as possible... the game has to produce two resources.  One is revenue, the second is relevancy.  The game has to provide a certain level of revenue for the publisher for as long as possible, and the game has to keep itself relevant to the public’s eye for as long as possible as well (before people lose focus on it and move on to other things.)  As soon as either of these two resources gets "used up"... the lifespan of the game shortens quickly and then dies.The first is revenue.  The publisher of the game determines how much money has to be brought in on a quarterly / yearly basis in order for the game to be "solvent" in their eyes and worth continuing to support.  Once they’ve determined that... they have to make sure they release just enough product to hit that revenue line on a quarterly / yearly basis.  Produce too much product too quickly and you make a killing in a particular quarter / year... but you are withdrawing potential money out of the subsequent years.   If that means holding back potential products that first year so that their revenue's eventual arrival is a quarter or year down the line (because the products thus far released have already reached the quota the company had set for revenue), then you do so.  You don't pick the pockets of Years 2, 3 and 4 to line the purse of Year 1.  That doesn't do the company any good.  You produce just enough in Year 1 so that you have more potential "quality" product for Year 2... then Year 3, then Year 4 (and so on).  After all... each subsequent product is going to see a financial diminishing of returns, so you do not want to blow all your big stuff early.  Sure, it makes Year 1 fantastic... but Year 4 is then doing to be a dead zone, and then whelp!  Time to start work on another game I guess!Then the second resource-- relevancy.  Keeping the product in the public eye.  Making sure the game *means* something-- both to those who are already playing it, and also to those who currently do not.For those that already are playing it... it means supporting the game enough so that the players continue to do so.  Make them want to continue playing it.  So their campaigns stay active.  So their desire to play the game keeps the game active-- relevant-- in their everyday life.  So they continue talking about the game, stump for the game, hype the game to others.  The longer the publisher keeps the game relevant by making players want to keep playing it... the players continue to be the best "advertising" the game could possibly have.And that player "advertising" goes along with the second half of relevancy-- getting more eyeballs on the game overall so that those who do not yet play it can still find it, see it, and hopefully potentially start playing it.  And this resource is also a difficult balancing act-- not enough advertising and relevancy and no one knows the game still exists, too much advertising and people start tuning it out.And when I say "advertising", I mean more than just actual "ads",  I also mean what is currently known as "brand awareness".  Keeping the name of the game within focus for as many people as possible.  Seeing the game in bookstores; hearing the name of the game online; seeing videos of people playing it; seeing the name on tee-shirts, video games, board games, tv, film; and most especially hearing stories from other people who ARE playing it.  All of these things keep the name ‘D&D’ in the periphery of most people’s focus, and all it takes is maintaining that periphery so that occasionally someone will turn to it, focus on it, and then make the decision to try it out.  You're never going to get huge influxes of new players (and at this point in history it's kind of silly to expect to), but so long as the game is relevant, you will in fact get the occasional one.  And that is one more than you had before.Should you manage to do both… hit your revenue targets each and every year consistently, and maintain the game’s focus so that it always remains pleasurably within sight of as many eyeballs as possible… the game has a better chance of sustaining itself further along the timeline.</blockquote>

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