D&D leaders leave WOTC! Why did D&D 5.5e fail? (Patreon)

D&D leaders leave WOTC! Why did D&D 5.5e fail?

The sudden departure of 3 of D&D's leads right after the 3D virtual tabletop was shuttered, further indicates that D&D 5.5e has not gone well for Hasbro. A number of channels have covered how D&D 5.5e has underperformed; in this video I try to answer the question "WHY?" 0:00 Intro 3:03 D&D 5.5e has underperformed 9:47 Quiet sea change away from D&D 15:20 The OGL Plan failed 24:05 Staffing/morale crisis 28:10 5.5e made for economic, not game considerations 33:02 Unserious design process without a playtest 41:23 Mid-playtest retreat 44:25 The biggest irony 49:03 Final Thoughts 51:03 The Prophecy of Swen Vincke Rules Lawyer playlist: "My videos on Hasbro/WOTC, OGL": https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5LfnOlAZRY5uhKF6k2KC-cCkWZOFTcS7&si=f0DL-uItzEAs2WsK Rules Lawyer playlist: "'Lawyer's Critique' on the 5.5e "playtest" documents, surveys": https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5LfnOlAZRY5ZRZZc2OQZGLQtedoMv-f5&si=L8AkTdRmullIu62n OTHER LINKS: Roll for Combat: "What Is WOTC Cancelling After the Sigil VTT?" https://youtu.be/klfL0RJiqWA?si=krUoQXDF8bXXIdk4 Dungeons & Discourse: "The D&D 2024 Scandal Is Worse than the LEAKS" (Mar. 7, 2025): https://youtu.be/w3iUSskq-nA?si=F2ChXQcwpqikurkq Dungeon Dudes: "Five Rules to Steal from 5e 2024": https://youtu.be/nVQGrE6wBtg?si=IGml2Sku17JBImEy Dungeon Dudes: "Five Reasons to Stick with the 2024 rules": https://youtu.be/Zl2qSKjzmu8?si=-55zjf4ydC4fBkdi Dungeons & Discourse: "The Online Disaster That Almost Killed Dungeons & Dragons" (Feb. 24, 2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCbr-qbAOpQ OldeGreybeard's "D&D 4e had an Epic VTT Fail Long Before Project Sigil": https://youtu.be/Pc60w8T3sUw?si=2uMsjxY2VjtoWYfj Geekwire: "Hasbro laying off Wizards of the Coast staff is baffling -- and could lead to a brain drain" (Dec. 14, 2023): https://www.geekwire.com/2023/hasbro-laying-off-wizards-of-the-coast-staff-is-baffling-and-could-lead-to-a-brain-drain/ The Rules Lawyer: "D&D 5.5e (2024) disregards DMs, martial/caster divide, WOTC job posting for making AI DMs": https://youtu.be/ZvNBp1aJL2A?si=fMQHqNOYlM16uHng Post with link to old WOTC articles from 2012-13 on designing 5.0e: https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/76327/are-the-design-goals-for-5e-currently-available DM Lair's "“WOTC’s ‘Apology Tour #2’ ft. Roll for Combat’s Stephen Glicker and Mark Seifter" (discussion of D&D Beyond sale at 51:25): https://www.youtube.com/live/OKQOhnHOg6I?si=_wEhQt-ksdRxypH1 The Rules Lawyer: "We're entering a NEW Golden Age of Tabletop RPGs": https://youtu.be/cUzsBqFAm-w?si=bmcUPcnDgkp01RyL Roll for Combat: "Are Tariffs Going to Destroy the Game Industry?": https://youtu.be/KsawgXAwfpY?si=bEUUZ7b_G1ZX1K7m ============================= LIKE & SUBSCRIBE! I'm a lawyer who teaches and runs tabletop RPGs (Pathfinder, D&D, Starfinder) for kids, teens, and adults, and making videos related to TTRPGs and board games. JOIN MY DISCORD to chat with our community and/or try our drop-in PF2e play system! https://discord.gg/ruleslawyer SUPPORT MY PATREON for early access to many of my videos and access to exclusive content, and to support me! I do unpaid public-interest legal work and rely on the Patreon and private GMing. https://www.patreon.com/theruleslawyer For PF2E actual plays, SUBSCRIBE to my other channel, "RULES LAWYER DISCORD COMMUNITY CHANNEL": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1K95QD8Mv2Tr6Wne6KS9g Follow me on BLUESKY: https://bsky.app/profile/ruleslawyer.bsky.social I have a policy of not taking sponsorships. I appreciate all the offers, but I will not accept them! Check out my channel on popular media (TV, movies, music), RONALD OFF THE RECORD! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj7C35sQEq144HJBUnnx4Tg