D&D 5E Is the new setting Icewind Dale?

@Birmy pointed out this Reddit comment.

Add that to the image WotC put out with the upcoming announcement.

And they're selling apparel featuring a snowy owlbear.

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[Parmandur]

Or:

"New" means unlikely to be in the Realms.
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Theros is new to D&D, and comes out a month after this stream, so even if they have another new setting coming down the pike, why would they be talking about the next new setting and not the impending one?
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They've already got two settings for 2020; if they do publish four books, would they really make three of them settings?
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Theros.​

Its Theros, folks.

(Probably)

I would have doubted two new Settings in a year, but we have 3 in 9 months. Never say never.

But here they probably mean Theros.

 

[darjr]

Hey! I LOVE this speculation!

Don’t anyone try an ruin this fun.

 

[Marandahir]

I would have doubted two new Settings in a year, but we have 3 in 9 months. Never say never.

But here they probably mean Theros.

And four in twelve months (Acq, Inc, Eberron, Wildemount, Theros)!

 

[Parmandur]

And four in twelve months (Acq, Inc, Eberron, Wildemount, Theros)!

Heck, both Ghosts of Saltmarsh and Descent into Avernus are heavy on (local) Setting material. And don't forget Rock & Morty! Maybe WotC only releases Setting books now.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Y'all are taking the "new setting" thing way too seriously... there's likely another setting coming eventually, so you'll get one sooner or later.

 

[Mercurius]

And four in twelve months (Acq, Inc, Eberron, Wildemount, Theros)!

Is AI really a setting book? Just a nit-pick.

 

[cbwjm]

Not sure I'd count AI since that was coming out whether or not WotC offered to publish it. It was apparently already mostly done before they offered to publish and would have been a kickstarter release if they hadn't.

 

[Dire Bare]

View attachment 122200Icewind Dale would be great IF they based it more on the original PC games. Khuldahar? I'm in!

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Dragon's Eye? Hells yes!

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Vale of Lost Souls? Take my money already! Give me some of that FR dullness, please!

Ah . . . thanks for reminding me how gorgeous the paintings (used on the loading screens) were! That game was atmospheric! If the tabletop book could capture just some of that essence . . . .

 

[Dire Bare]

Didn't they also just release like, all of the old Drizzt novels on Humble Bundle? Including, most famously, the Icewind Dale trilogy?

Not all of them, not by a longshot. A lot though, something like the first dozen or so. There are a LOT of Drizzt books!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Yeah, probably. I mean, the storyline will be set somewhere, and the tealeaves suggest Icewind Dale, but that's not a "new setting" the way that Theros is.

Ah, but Theros is not "new", it's been around for years - in MtG.

One has to take "new" as meaning "new to 5e", in which case Icewind Dale qualifies. Now, Icewind Dale simply isn't big enough to support a full hardback on it's own, but once you grasp they are talking about a gazetteer in an adventure book it makes sense.

Now, if you look at comments about ToA on this forum, it is clear that some people are not happy to buy an adventure for the setting information. So, they may have decided on a format that allows the setting content to be sold separately (digitally, the slim softbacks of earlier editions are not economically viable). Which explains their choice of language.