D&D 5E Prediction: Hasbro Will Acquire Foundry Virtual Tabletop for $24M

[Retreater]

If anything, Wizards would go with Roll20 over their competitors. It has a larger install-base, a huge percentage of 5e players, and ease of use.
I predict Gleemax will come back in a big way.

 

[JThursby]

If anything, Wizards would go with Roll20 over their competitors. It has a larger install-base, a huge percentage of 5e players, and ease of use.
I predict Gleemax will come back in a big way.

No way. Either Wizards partners with VTTs or makes their own. Buying a company that has obligations to other tabletop companies is more trouble than it's worth. They either do their best to not act anti-competitive and still get accused of preferential treatment of their own products, or actually try to muscle out the other systems on that platform which will lead to gross customer dissatisfaction at best. There's no scenario in which buying a VTT that has active partnerships elsewhere gives Wizards less headaches than profits.

 

[Umbran]

The problem with outright purchasing any current VTT solution is that every one of them also supports people not playing D&D. WotC is not going to want to have to support other games, nor are they going to want to kick people off a current platform, because that would look really bad.

 

[Guest 7034872]

The problem with outright purchasing any current VTT solution is that every one of them also supports people not playing D&D. WotC is not going to want to have to support other games, nor are they going to want to kick people off a current platform, because that would look really bad.

Why would they not want to allow support for other games? I doubt those games eat into their profits in any serious way, do they?

 

[Jer]

Why would they not want to allow support for other games? I doubt those games eat into their profits in any serious way, do they?

Reverse the question - why would they want to commit funds to supporting those other games? Beyond generating good will?

 

[mrswing]

The problem with outright purchasing any current VTT solution is that every one of them also supports people not playing D&D. WotC is not going to want to have to support other games, nor are they going to want to kick people off a current platform, because that would look really bad.

Not so - Shard is specifically intended to play 5e and nothing else - and is hampered by only being able to use the SRD. If Wizards bought them, they'd have a VTT tailor made for their game.

 

[mrswing]

The problem with outright purchasing any current VTT solution is that every one of them also supports people not playing D&D. WotC is not going to want to have to support other games, nor are they going to want to kick people off a current platform, because that would look really bad.

Sorry - double post.

 

[Guest 7034872]

Reverse the question - why would they want to commit funds to supporting those other games? Beyond generating good will?

Isn't there space in between those two possibilities?: they don't especially want to, but they also don't especially mind it (because they judge it relatively harmless and they decide they do want an existing, thriving VTT instead of building their own), so they reconcile themselves to it. No?

 

[bedir than]

Not so - Shard is specifically intended to play 5e and nothing else - and is hampered by only being able to use the SRD. If Wizards bought them, they'd have a VTT tailor made for their game.

Shard also supports a lot of 3pp stuff

 

[Steampunkette]

Roll20 has 8 million users... So they'd be getting a large userbase with it.

Foundry has... less. But is more visually interesting.

Both support not-D&D Games.

Shard is more likely than either, even with 3pp.

But infinitely more likely is WotC building their own stuff or just tapping Joe Mangianello's work once it's done to get the "Official" stamp.