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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kerrick" data-source="post: 869653" data-attributes="member: 4722">Getting back on topic...   This is very interesting. Several people have been predicting that the market would reach "critical mass" and that companies would either be dropping out or consolidating, and those opinions are being supported by Mr. Dancey. The whole thing sounded a little "gloom and doom" and carried the weight of (no offense <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />) but it also sounds right on the mark. It's been happening for about the last six months, really - individuals and entire companies are dropping out as they begin to realize that they can't just write a book or three and become rich. Those who have the perseverance, the vision, and the creativity to keep going, however, are finding that they CAN make some money and become known among gamers and industry folks. It's kind of like interning - you don't get paid squat for it at first, but you get your name out there along with your work, and if you're good, you can get a job (or sell more books, if you're already working for a company).  Yeah, I think most successful publishers will do both, simply so they can hit both markets - the low-cost, internet-savvy group and the "I want to hold it in my hands" group who is willing to shell out a few etxra dollars for a print product. Add to that that not all of us have easy access, and marketing your books as pdf as well as print makes a lot of sense. Granted there's the element of piracy, but hell, anyone can scan a print book and do the same...Yes, and we're going to see more - and that's a GOOD thing. Companies are starting to realize just how far they can push the OGL and that by helping others, they are in essence helping themselves. This will create greater interdependence between products as, like Ryan said, more and more rules become generally accepted as (dare I say) "canon" and people simply refer to the rules for intership combat or ritual casting ot what-have-you. Another consequence of this is that the gaming community is becoming smaller - not literally, but figuratively. Publishers and producers are getting to know each other better, freelance writers/editors/artists are having a better time of breaking into the market as they get their names known ("Hey, do you know anything about so-and-so?" "Yeah, he did some work for me, and I really liked it." Stuff like that.), and producers and writers for the various companies are becoming more comfortable sharing their work around.    I'd like to offer a prediction, for what it's worth: I think that soon the gaming industry will be dominated by four or five major companies. It's already happening now, really, but the division between "big time" and "small potatoes" will become more pronounced within the next year or two. Companies like Malhavoc, Green Ronin, ENPublishing, and Mongoose will continue to grow - unless something untoward happens - and the smaller companies will either be absorbed, go out of business, or become sidelines for people with real jobs - they put out a book here and there without any expectations of making money, but simply for fun (and if it DOES make some money, so much the better).</blockquote>

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