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<blockquote data-quote="JustinA" data-source="post: 3476622" data-attributes="member: 51618">This may be the case. But there is an important difference: 1E and 2E players had no choice when the game moved on. If they wanted to continue having active support for their game, they had to migrate to the new edition.What will happen if there are still at least a half dozen companies publishing 3rd Edition material? Oh, I'm sure most players will go to 4th Edition. But there's a real risk for WotC that a significant and independent fanbase will emerge around the legacy 3rd Edition system -- permanently dividing their customer base for all time.There's a couple of ways WotC can avoid that:(1) Go to the biggest and most popular D20 producers and offer them a lucrative license to produce 4th Edition support material. The sure money (and probably the big money) will be with 4th Edition, so these companies would be sorely pressed to turn down this offer. When they take it, you live with them producing material for 3 or 4 or 5 years and then you simply refuse to renew the license.The companies that would have formed the core of a &quot;3rd Edition Resistance&quot; are thus used to push the ascendancy of 4th Edition instead. By the time the license expires, the war is already over and 4th Edition wins.(2) Release a 4th Edition SRD, but don't release it under the OGL. Release it under an agreement designed to look more like the D20 Trademark License -- a license that can be revoked at any time at WotC's whim. Even if the third party companies see the writing on the wall, they'll have no choice but to join the 4th Edition bandwagon (just like they had to join the 3.5 bandwagon).Wait a couple of years, then revoke the license.I don't see any guarantee. The people in charge of R&amp;D at WotC now are the people responsible for the original edition of STAR WARS D20, after all.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="JustinA, post: 3476622, member: 51618"] This may be the case. But there is an important difference: 1E and 2E players had no choice when the game moved on. If they wanted to continue having active support for their game, they had to migrate to the new edition. What will happen if there are still at least a half dozen companies publishing 3rd Edition material? Oh, I'm sure most players will go to 4th Edition. But there's a real risk for WotC that a significant and independent fanbase will emerge around the legacy 3rd Edition system -- permanently dividing their customer base for all time. There's a couple of ways WotC can avoid that: (1) Go to the biggest and most popular D20 producers and offer them a lucrative license to produce 4th Edition support material. The sure money (and probably the big money) will be with 4th Edition, so these companies would be sorely pressed to turn down this offer. When they take it, you live with them producing material for 3 or 4 or 5 years and then you simply refuse to renew the license. The companies that would have formed the core of a "3rd Edition Resistance" are thus used to push the ascendancy of 4th Edition instead. By the time the license expires, the war is already over and 4th Edition wins. (2) Release a 4th Edition SRD, but don't release it under the OGL. Release it under an agreement designed to look more like the D20 Trademark License -- a license that can be revoked at any time at WotC's whim. Even if the third party companies see the writing on the wall, they'll have no choice but to join the 4th Edition bandwagon (just like they had to join the 3.5 bandwagon). Wait a couple of years, then revoke the license. I don't see any guarantee. The people in charge of R&D at WotC now are the people responsible for the original edition of STAR WARS D20, after all. [/QUOTE]

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