D&D 5E (2024) Predict WotC's 2026 D&D releases

[FitzTheRuke]

The older I get, the more often I tag things as the "least bad solution". It's imperfect, it has obvious downsides, but it's still better than the available alternatives. And while it's easy to point at the flaws, it's hard to offer up a better idea.

That's where I feel we are with this. Early product announcements are the least bad solution available at the moment.

I get where you're coming from, but I disagree. I think ignoring the online chatter and announcing things properly is the way to go.

Take our whole "is Dark Sun coming in 2026 or not?" thread here on ENWorld. I don't think that it actually does any harm to the eventual product if they announce it "for real" in say, February, assuming it ships in May. Whereas I think that it DOES potentially harm it to announce it now, in particular if it doesn't come out until September. Or worse, it's meant to come out in May, but production delays hold it until November.

Especially if by May, they've announced what's coming in September, and everyone is talking about that, while Dark Sun rolls out with (relative) less attention than it otherwise would have.

 

[Zaukrie]

I get where you're coming from, but I disagree. I think ignoring the online chatter and announcing things properly is the way to go.

Take our whole "is Dark Sun coming in 2026 or not?" thread here on ENWorld. I don't think that it actually does any harm to the eventual product if they announce it "for real" in say, February, assuming it ships in May. Whereas I think that it DOES potentially harm it to announce it now, in particular if it doesn't come out until September. Or worse, it's meant to come out in May, but production delays hold it until November.

Especially if by May, they've announced what's coming in September, and everyone is talking about that, while Dark Sun rolls out with (relative) less attention than it otherwise would have.

I generally agree with you here. While I'd like to know what's coming sooner (in case I want to run it/ use it, so I can plan for that), I think from a marketing perspective they should announce the next 1-2 products about 2-4 weeks after one comes out. After the initial hype has died for the latest product. But, as I said, their marketing is 100% not aimed at me, so I could be wrong here (and it's been 35 + years since I got my marketing degree).

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I generally agree with you here. While I'd like to know what's coming sooner (in case I want to run it/ use it, so I can plan for that), I think from a marketing perspective they should announce the next 1-2 products about 2-4 weeks after one comes out. After the initial hype has died for the latest product. But, as I said, their marketing is 100% not aimed at me, so I could be wrong here (and it's been 35 + years since I got my marketing degree).

Yeah! I mean, I get it. I want to know what's next myself, and what's after that, and what's after that!

But I don't think that it's good for the business. Or ultimately, for fans, either.

 

[whimsychris123]

I'll throw in my 2 copper so I can look back a year from now and see how right or wrong I was.

Dark Sun Setting book
Fae/Feywild Sourcebook
Expansion book like Xanathar's or Tasha's
Adventure compendium focusing on classics with a slight exploration theme (Isle of Dread, etc.)

I'm going to "boldly" state that adventure paths, as we know them, are a thing of the past. Venca: Eve of Ruin may have been the last one. They now seemed focused on providing campaign ideas and short adventure descriptions rather than fully realized and descriptive adventure paths.

 

[Belen]

They're totally losing my interest at this point.

Same.

I am struggling to think of anything they can release that would excite me.

2024 was a let down and I am not sure I want more remakes of 5e content that I already own.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm going to "boldly" state that adventure paths, as we know them, are a thing of the past. Venca: Eve of Ruin may have been the last one. They now seemed focused on providing campaign ideas and short adventure descriptions rather than fully realized and descriptive adventure paths.

I certainly hope Vecna prompted them to rethink their process, much as Spelljammer appears to have prompted a rethinking that led to the two Forgotten Realms books we just got. (Planescape came out so close to Spelljammer that I assume it was too late to make major changes.)

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I certainly hope Vecna prompted them to rethink their process, much as Spelljammer appears to have prompted a rethinking that led to the two Forgotten Realms books we just got. (Planescape came out so close to Spelljammer that I assume it was too late to make major changes.)

It seems the only (but much-needed) change they made to Planescape was to allow it more pages.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It seems the only (but much-needed) change they made to Planescape was to allow it more pages.

Yeah, there definitely weren't the same level of complaints about Planescape as there were Spelljammer.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Yeah, there definitely weren't the same level of complaints about Planescape as there were Spelljammer.

The overall format (slipcase, organization) seemed like a fine idea, but it didn't work out in practice. Superficially, the FR books are along the same lines (minus the Slipcase) but for some reason I vastly prefer them.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The overall format (slipcase, organization) seemed like a fine idea, but it didn't work out in practice. Superficially, the FR books are along the same lines (minus the Slipcase) but for some reason I vastly prefer them.

It’s a matter of page count, not how they are packaged.