Lanefan
Victoria Rules
Had WotC not wanted to enhance their bottom line with new-core-release sales boosts, would 3.5 and-or 4e have seen the light of day as soon as they did, if ever?Unnecessary.. for what? That word doesn't really mean anything except in reference to some goal.
You, personally didn't need it? Okay, then it wasn't necessary for your needs. Cool.
But maybe for other purposes, it was necessary.
It's an open question, as speculation in hindsight always is, but I very much doubt it.