I'm sure that some fans will think this is a foolish move on Paizo's part. How do you fight against the 800 lb. gorilla after all? Here's the thing: they don't have to. If Paizo can peel off even 20,000 current D&D fans and make them Pathfinder fans, that's a great business for a company of Paizo's size. WotC is likely going to lose at least that number of fans anyway, so at the end of the day I doubt it'll really affect 4E. I can easily envision 4E and Pathfinder both being successful for their parent companies.
He also makes mention of this decision sending "shock waves... throughout the world of third-party publishing." That's the part that has me sitting on the edge of my seat. 3.x really isn't my game of choice. The bifurcation of D&D doesn't really affect me directly, but there will certainly be consequences for my gaming. The survival of professional 3rd edition publishing will be a chink in D&D's aura of invincibility, which it managed to regain with the publication of 3rd edition. It means more "mainstream" games on the market, each making its own little waves, trying new things, and keeping things fresh and exciting in our hobby. It also means Paizo will be unfettered to a greater extent, able to take more risks and explore new directions. They've already announced their foray into organized gaming with the Pathfinder RPG. What else will 2008 and the following years bring us?
UPDATE: Welcome, readers of Jeff's Gameblog! I've got more on the Pathfinder RPG announcement here. Thanks for the link, Jeff. :)
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