The Business: I Told You Wizards Could Tank It

The Professor brings the receipts.

The Professor confirms what I've said:

• WOTC prints all in the US (for books).
• WOTC taking up all domestic printing capacity means competitors get fucked on tariffs printing abroad.
• WOTC co-branding gets out to the Normies where the money is.
• WOTC can take damage longer than everyone else.
• WOTC doesn't need Elite Human Capital anymore; the bots can and will handle what is required because the Normies accept Good Enough.
• WOTC's Big Move is guaranteed to succeed.

And because keeping Past Editions available legally isn't even Pocket Change money in terms of costs, WOTC will keep them available (including POD) perpetually. It's free money at zero cost.

So no, Your Indie Darling ain't overtaking shit. They're going to go non-commercial or die, Official D&D will thrive (and abandon Tabletop), and only Real D&D will remain to hold up the hobby- which means only the Real Hobby will remain, and it will be non-commercial.

Conventional Play is a dead man walking, and it's been Turned.