D&D 4E Will 4E be announced at D&D Experience?

[Ghostwind]

From my blog a couple of weeks back:

"I have talked to some folks who think this might be announced as early as next month at the "D&D Experience" (the re-branded Winter Fantasy) but I really doubt that's the case. There's too much announced product in the queue and any 4E announcement is sure to kill sales on subsequent 3.5 books."

So put me down for a no.

This is along the same lines as what I've been saying and have heard from others who are in a position to hear news first. All of the indicators that I've heard would point towards an announcement at GTS at the earliest with Gen Con being more likely. Either way, I firmly feel that it will be in 2008 (just as I predicted in 2005 just after Gen Con).

 

[Sir Elton]

Amazing! Back in 2003 when I started mentioning my belief that 4E will be released in either 2006 or 2008 (depending upon whether or not they just cut short the one 5 year development cycle (2008) or reduced it to a 3 year development cycle (2006)), many folks called me a doom-sayer and such.

Yet, in the past year, a lot of other have begun also saying 2008, even Merric!!!!

My goodness, the world must be going to end....

Geeze.

Rasyr, you don't have to worry, really. It's just a game, not the death knell.

 

[Kanegrundar]

Eh. Merric, you may be right. However, and I've said this ever since Rasyr started going on and on about 4E, is that unless it's a substantially better product I doubt that I'll be interested. Granted, I don't think that we (as in current players) are the focus of any new edition. Sure, WotC would love it if the entire 3E player base moved on to the next edition, but that's not likely (the overall majority would, though) and the focus will be primarily on drawing new players into the fold. It's good business sense, but not the greatest sense for an aging gamer with less money to spend on such things. :shrug:

 

[JVisgaitis]

Either way, I firmly feel that it will be in 2008 (just as I predicted in 2005 just after Gen Con).

Oh you big liar. You said they we're going to announce it at 2006 for 2007. In any case, I think its a definite for 2008. I hope they do something radically different with the build up to 4e and announce an open beta.

 

[Pramas]

As others have already mentioned, only one of all remaining products that have been anounced for 2007 is really dependent on D&D 3.5 (Complete Champion). Everything else is more or less targeted at a different audience than people looking for new 3.5 rules.

It's not the reality that's important, it's the perception. Once 4E is announced, retailers, distirbutors, and fans will immediately become wary of books that come out in the lame duck period.

 

[Greg K]

As someone with relatively little monetary investment in 3.x, I just wish 4e would be announced and then immediately released. Then, I could decide to go with 4e or make the switch to True20 and, thereby, ditch anything WOTC and never look back.

 

[A'koss]

It's not the reality that's important, it's the perception. Once 4E is announced, retailers, distirbutors, and fans will immediately become wary of books that come out in the lame duck period.

That's very true, but what can they do...? The powers-that-be at WotC have already said that they would give fans at least a year's notice before releasing a new edition of the game. They'll have to sell something during that time...

 

[Nyeshet]

I first would like to provision my statement by stating that I think 4e will be more of a revision (a la 3.5e) than a major edition change. That said, . . .

I would not be surprised if 4e was announced late 2008 or sometime in 2009, but - unlike some posters - I do not believe it will be printed in either of those years (well, perhaps late 2009, in time for Christmas), let alone in June 2008!

No, I think late 08 / early 09 for the announcement, followed ~ 1 year later (+/- 0.5 year) for the first print release.

 

[Le Noir Faineant]

I wonder if WotC will choose a way like TSR did in the 80s - keep d20 as we know it, and release a fourth edition as a different, new line.

Personally, I highly doubt that a fourth edition would be successful at the moment; D&D's strength were never that it had the best rules, but the best settings, IMO. Many of those who now play d20 do use WotC's rules, but stick to old settings from TSR. And most of the older settings, except Spelljammer, I believe, are already so well-documented in d20, that there would be no real reason to switch to a new system that doesn't support one's setting.

- Except of course, that an estimated 4e would return to support more gamng worlds.

Again:

 

[Mouseferatu]

Only one real new rules supplement (Complete Champion) which was originally supposed to be published earlier and had to be moved down the schedule because of the lack of product slots

And where, pray tell, did you hear this? I worked on CC, and while I'm not privy to the release schedule at all parts of the process, May is the first and only date I've ever been made aware of.

If you have a solid source, I'd very much like to know who. If not, please don't post net scuttlebutt as fact.