I know I'm still wet behind the ears but from brushing up on the history of D&D as a brand/product it is apparent that it's gone through periods of bad management/product design, 4e being the most recent instance. I'm not saying that the edition was bad (I've no idea) - but it seems clear that the return on investment was poor, and the fact that Pathfinder stole the pole position during 4e was another indicator that the product had gone off the rails.
I think Hasbro/Wotc management gave the D&D team a severe bollocking and, after a reorg, told them to right the ship and demonstrate that the new management team could release product that made good profits (and do it for a period of time).
Now that they have demonstrated competency in creating D&D products that make money (and grow the brand, D&D is now back on top), there might be more leniency toward diversifying the product lineup. But I'm sure the management team is very leery of anything that might remind Hasbro of the bad old days
Just my 2c.
I think Hasbro/Wotc management gave the D&D team a severe bollocking and, after a reorg, told them to right the ship and demonstrate that the new management team could release product that made good profits (and do it for a period of time).
Now that they have demonstrated competency in creating D&D products that make money (and grow the brand, D&D is now back on top), there might be more leniency toward diversifying the product lineup. But I'm sure the management team is very leery of anything that might remind Hasbro of the bad old days
Just my 2c.