daemonslye said:
...
The only reason I would even contemplate this would happen is that some Hasbro exec on high got his hands on one of the
Fiendish Codex's and had a fit.
I mean, its a little far afield from "
So Soft Pony Pinkie Pie" (
http://hasbro.com/).
~D
Hmmm.... There may be something to that. Hasbro's consumer base is primarily families with young kids. All it takes is some new exec with strong socially conservative sensibilities to step in and stir the pot, cause a stink and order changes...
Hasbro exec: "What is this D&D stuff? Fiendish Codex? It doesn't look exactly family friendly!"
underling Wotc exec: "It is a roleplaying game for the 12+ crowd and its been their hobby since the late 1970's."
Hasbro exec: "Does it make a good return? How come we haven't heard of this before?"
underling WotC exec: "It is a niche market, and returns are - er- modest."
Hasbro exec: "Hmph. Look, if it has been around for 30-odd years and still doesn't rake in the mega-bucks next quarter, then
we will not put up with further risks to our reputation with our main customer base. Sell it."
underling WotC exec: "But..."
Hasbro exec: "Go on. The returns aren't worth the risk. Get rid of it. Oh, and see you at Sunday's golf tournament. Don't forget to bring the wife and kids."
underling WotC exec: "Yeah, sure..."
This is a genuine possibility in some manner; it has happened before where companies quietly adjust products, or discontinued them, just to be "safe" PR-wise. (I would say more but then this would become very political discussion about multi-proned attacks from the radical religious right...)
I just hope the whole thing is just the usual mundune business shift and that WotC will speak to it's customers (and not over them).