Given all the responses from people which overwhelmingly said "I am fine with the $50 price, maybe a tad taken back but I will pay it anyway", I don't see why you think it was a boneheaded decision.
To someone already going to buy the game, a 50 dollar price tag may be perceived as steep but they're still more likely to get the product.
To someone who was never going to buy it, it doesn't matter what the price is. WotC isn't going to get these people no matter what.
But to someone on the fence, a 50 dollar price tag may be perceived as too high of a tag and then be dissuaded from trying the game.
To all three groups; 30 dollars is a more attractive offer than 50 dollars. So group 1 is going to like having less money to spend, it gives group 2 one less reason not to buy it, and it gets certain people to jump into the WotC side of the yard by being that much cheaper.
So, I guess I don't know what your point is Mistwell. I think that WotC's boneheaded decision was to release it at so much higher than they realistically had to. I don't know why they would want bad press about a 50 dollar price tag. Yes I'm glad more people will get the product at the lower price. I'm even glad I am potentially more able to afford it too. I'm glad all the things
Amazon has done to attract people to the game. But Amazon's price change doesn't reflect the 57 dollar price tag I saw as a Canadian for a new edition of a game I was already tentative about. A price tag that is still what I'm seeing from the official price from WotC at any place other than Amazon.com.
What bonehead decision? To release 5e at all?
What? No. I never said anything like this.
Let me ask you this.
Say someone through their own stupidity cut off their own appendage, let's say a foot. And someone else through sheer cunning was able to salvage and reattach that foot. Would I then praise the idiot for losing it or the cunning man for reattaching it? I'm thinking the person who saved the idiot from their incompetence is more worthy of my praise.