Will the Wizards Digital Initiative still be around in 5 years?

[VictorC]

If I have my way with people, it won't last a day.

Remind me why democracy is a good thing (I don't even choose that government in my Civ3).

There is government classes in grade school, or are you just acting like a baby?

 

[was]

I doubt it.....

 

[VictorC]

I love my Rhapsody and GameTap memberships. I love my MP3 player and my iPAQ and loved my laptop when it worked. I spend hundreds of dollars a year at RPGNow. I'd be all for the success of the Digital Initiative if WotC weren't pursuing it in such a cutthroat manner. Regardless, we just don't know enough about it to even guess at its longevity.

Can't guess at the longevity, but are more than willing to speculate that Wizards has done something underhanded... mature.

 

[VictorC]

The level of pessimism here is amusing.

I personally would call it sad, or pathetic. I'll leave it up to you to pick the one that best describes the little babys.

 

[Steel_Wind]

I vote yes.

I do believe it is the future. I do not believe, however, that it means a clean break with the past. There is room for both.

 

[Alzrius]

I honestly don't see this lasting five years. In my opinion, there's just not enough of an online presence in a niche hobby to sustain this, even with a reduced operating cost.

 

[Nightfall]

My soul says no but my brain says yes.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Yes it will be around. Which is to say, no it won't be around in the way you think. It won't be an "initiative" anymore because the purpose of the original initiative will have LONG been accomplished. One does not need to be psychic to see how much of the rpg business has ALREADY been moved online, and that to assume that the "digital initiative" which is merely following the trend of moving even more of it online anyway, will actually stop or even reverse is myopic.

 

[MojoGM]

They spent years on eTools. And even to the bitter end it was buggy, incomplete and incorrect.

True, but what year was that? Even a few years in the realm of technology can make a huge difference.

Plus I think they just hired a 3rd party company and let them have at it with little or no oversight.*

* Eric, I seer from a later post of yours that there was oversight...so apparantly it wasn't very good oversight, so hopefully THAT will improve.

 

[maggot]

I'd vote if there were an option along the lines of "it won't be the same in 5 years." In the digital world, 5 years is multiple generations. WDI will be something else by the time April 2012 hits.