This is how the world works.
And Hasbro wants to increase profits by 50% - or more - over the next 5 years. I expect the prices of books, and the number of them to buy, to go up dramatically for One D&D. And it will probably be the only game you can afford to play since companies these days have this way of making you feel left out if you don't give them your entire gaming budget.
This is the world you live in with "influencer brands" and the revolving money wheel between Wall Street companies, advertisers, and YouTube influencers who honestly give more than they get (and very few there earn a living wage).
So here comes One D&D and more ways for you - the customer - to spend money.
And there goes D&D YouTube; if they want a part of the sweet ad money, they will start creating buzz. Remember that most YouTube performers work for free and give billion-dollar companies free labor.
And yes, you will be expected to pay more and buy more to "be on the hype train!"
And here comes the nostalgia to help lubricate the sales push! It would not surprise me if they started to roll out One D&D Campaign setting updates for every TSR property and mostly cut and paste while inserting a few controversies here and there to create B&O - buzz and outrage.
What did they do to Elminster!!!? This makes me so mad!
I never used that character, and I have the power to say he doesn't exist, but the controversy!!!
And most people will be suckered in by B&O because it works so well.
This is also why those who play the influencer brand game dislike the OSR. I can buy (or get the game for free) and be completely free from having my entertainment budget drained by influencers and the corporations who support and create those parasitic brands and experiences. Some games I play are decades old. Others have stayed the same and only done printings to keep things fresh.
I am not being pressured to spend money with the OSR. I can play many games for free. And I do not have to create a budget for my fun and feel "left out" if I can't afford a book or online service.
I love 5E, but I feel the marketing and sales of the game feel predatory. It does not feel like the game I started with nor the one the original creators worked on. I push OSR alternatives, even for 5E, because some still love the framework and feeling.
I can love and support the game without loving and supporting the business practices behind it, and some of the social media influencers feel like levels in a pyramid scheme of marketing and buzz.
You know, if you don't buy the thing I am talking about today, you will feel left out!
You wouldn't want that, would you?
We spend so much time together!
Friend.
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