eyeheartawk
#1 Enworld Jerk™
Yeah, they really are that short-sighted."Imagine" being the key word here. WotC's reasoning seems to rely on a number of significant assumptions:
If all of these assumptions are correct, Wizards is clearing the way for its VTT as a massive cost to its public image (and ethics, if any of the decision makers care about that). But if even one of these assumptions turns out to be wrong, then WotC is inflicting these costs on itself and getting nothing in return.
- There is a profitable market for the advanced VTT products WotC is working on.
- A competitor's VTT can compete for this market even without the D&D brand and the non-SRD parts of the D&D ruleset.
- A competitor's VTT cannot compete for this market without the SRD parts of the D&D ruleset.
- WotC will be able to defend its retraction of the OGL through litigation or the threat thereof.
I mean, anybody here could tell you that Roll20 couldn't possibly compete with the tens of millions they've pumped into whatever this VTT is going to be. You will out-perform and out-feature every other VTT immediately with those sorts of resources.
But to them? Naw, let's make sure. Plus, I'm sure they didn't think it would be this big a deal. Mainly, because all the people making this decision know nothing about this market and want it to turn it into a whole other, different market altogether.