delericho
Legend
It's WotC's IP to do with as they see fit. If they choose to release the SRD late, or even not at all, that's their prerogative.
However, I would have thought it was in their interest to try to make sure publishers have something to work with far enough in advance that any releases they have slated for June next year can be 4e compatible. Not only will that allow for a greater range of supporting material (read: introductory adventures) than WotC alone can produce, but it also cuts out any risk of them publishing 3.5e compatible materials instead. Given that the current edition is the strongest competition to the new edition, it would seem wise to avoid that. (This is especially true where Paizo are concerned, since if they miss the deadline for making the first adventure of the 3rd Pathfinder AP 4e-ready, then that will mean at least 6 months of further 3.5e support, which surely cannot be desirable to WotC?)
Of course, the powers that be at WotC might choose to take the opposite view: that it's better to release the SRD late, and thus have a few months entirely without competition. That then raises the question: why release an SRD at all? Why not just cut out the competitors entirely, and permanently? (It also misses the point that these 'competitors' are really nothing of the sort. The biggest seller is the PHB, and all other products serve to sell more PHBs. That being the case, the existence of support products from 'competitors' help, rather than hinder, the WotC bottom line.)
However, I would have thought it was in their interest to try to make sure publishers have something to work with far enough in advance that any releases they have slated for June next year can be 4e compatible. Not only will that allow for a greater range of supporting material (read: introductory adventures) than WotC alone can produce, but it also cuts out any risk of them publishing 3.5e compatible materials instead. Given that the current edition is the strongest competition to the new edition, it would seem wise to avoid that. (This is especially true where Paizo are concerned, since if they miss the deadline for making the first adventure of the 3rd Pathfinder AP 4e-ready, then that will mean at least 6 months of further 3.5e support, which surely cannot be desirable to WotC?)
Of course, the powers that be at WotC might choose to take the opposite view: that it's better to release the SRD late, and thus have a few months entirely without competition. That then raises the question: why release an SRD at all? Why not just cut out the competitors entirely, and permanently? (It also misses the point that these 'competitors' are really nothing of the sort. The biggest seller is the PHB, and all other products serve to sell more PHBs. That being the case, the existence of support products from 'competitors' help, rather than hinder, the WotC bottom line.)