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Message: <blockquote data-quote="El Mahdi" data-source="post: 5444436" data-attributes="member: 59506">A large part of TSR's failure (along with just horrible administration) was trying to support the publishing of multiple versions of the game. That also involved the development of new products for multiple versions of the game. Development and publishing are the most significant expenses involved with a product line. Both of these factors are not present in DDI support of previous editions.  Once the initial compilations and development is done (the data bases created), with the exception of a bit more server space, nothing really changes from what they have now. Maintenance of the system would not be significantly increased by the addition of extra data-sets, but the amount of subscribers could double (or more). A simple fact is that there are as many (or more) potential customers (players of other editions or game systems that used to purchase D&D products) that don't play 4E or buy any current D&D products. The only way to get these people to pay for a DDI sub is to offer material they will use. And, as has been talked to death, a DDI subscription is a perpetual source of income that has the potential to make magnitudes more profit than print products. They may call Essentials an "evergreen" product, but WotC's true evergreen product is DDI. DDI subscriptions are always going to be only a percentage of players. Even if the site and material was perfect, it's never going to get everyone who plays as subscribers. A large portion of players will simply share subscriptions, or feel they just wouldn't use it enough to be worthwhile, or any other number of reasons - even if the applications were perfect. Improvement to DDI will get some of these 4E players to come back, and could likely net a few who didn't previously subscribe, but for the biggest potential increase in subscribers they have to look to players of other editions. To get those players, they have to offer support for other editions. Nothing else will draw them in. WotC is the only entity capable of effectively tapping that customer base, and it's a very large untapped pool of potential customers.</blockquote>

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