http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/12654.html

QuoteA WotC spokesperson has informed ICv2 that Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition has already gone back to press more than a week before its scheduled street date next Friday, June 6th.  Sell-in of 4th Edition has "far exceeded expectations" and even though the initial print run for 4th Edition was 50% higher than the order for the previous D&D 3.5 Edition, WotC has now realized that it is necessary to go back to press to meet anticipated reorder demand.
 
Earlier this week reports indicated that Buy.com was breaking the street date and shipping copies of 4th Edition (and that 4th Edition elements were available as Bit Torrent downloads, see "D&D 4E Out Early"), clear evidence of the highly anticipated nature of D&D 4th Edition.
 
Sell-in for 4th Edition turned out to be considerably higher than for 3.5 and the number of pre-orders keeps rising.  The D&D 4E Core Rulebook Gift Set made it up to #5 on Amazon.com's rankings today (Amazon appears to be observing the June 6th street date).

Not surprising, really. I noticed that Amazon ranking a day or two ago, and outside of certain fora, the game is hotly anticipated.

Good for them!  Although, I'm pretty sure its antcipated D&D core would have multiple print runs.

Quote from: Zachary The FirstGood for them!  Although, I'm pretty sure its antcipated D&D core would have multiple print runs.

I'd say that's a given.

I'm still tempted to go back through old 4E threads and rub the repreint in the face of the absurd scetics who suggested it would be stillborn.

Quote from: TrevelyanI'd say that's a given.

I'm still tempted to go back through old 4E threads and rub the repreint in the face of the absurd scetics who suggested it would be stillborn.

Yep.

I don't think too many people took seriously any claims that D&D 4E wouldn't fly off the shelves.

I think a majority of all people who play D&D don't go and read about it at length on the internet. (To further clarify, I think that at least 50% of all people who play or run D&D don't spend much time on internet forums soaking up all the details and at best just check the WotC website to see what's coming out next, and more likely never bother looking online.)

But I think with the sheer brand recognition that D&D brings that it's practically a given that many, many people will buy the book just to check it out.

What I don't think is necessarily a given is how well it will continue to sell. If people buy it and don't like it, they won't be running it and getting other friends to buy it. If they play it and decide it's just like WoW, but with lousy graphics, they may stop buying stuff.

It certainly looks like the initial sales run will be substantial, perhaps even more than for previous editions. Whether or not it will continue to sell (meaning whether people will continue to buy more copies of the 3 core books, various settings and supplements, and pay for online subscriptions) I don't know.

Quote from: TrevelyanI'd say that's a given.

I'm still tempted to go back through old 4E threads and rub the repreint in the face of the absurd scetics who suggested it would be stillborn.

Were there many here? I, personally, don't recall many. There were people who had qualms about the game - but just about everyone I can remember stipulated that it would sell quite well...

Of course, I'd be happy to support you in your efforts by agreeing with you that they were wrong when you repost their quotes here...

I am having this vague sense that somehow WotC may have actually reached a wider audience.

It may be Gary's death, which was a worldwide event, and which made the folks who didn't come back for 3e remember D&D just before the release.

Let's pray the game rewards the interest, for the sake of our hobby.

Quote from: CalithenaLet's pray the game rewards the interest, for the sake of our hobby.

:raise:

Sorry if that bugs you, Stuart. My basic view is that the more people playing RPGs the better. Why I feel that way, I'm not sure, and there is an upper limit at some point, but I guess I do.

Quote from: CalithenaSorry if that bugs you, Stuart. My basic view is that the more people playing RPGs the better. Why I feel that way, I'm not sure, and there is an upper limit at some point, but I guess I do.

I just think that sentiment takes it a bit too far.  For the sake of the industry maybe... but not the hobby.

I suspect a slight bit of deception in comparing it to 3.5 instead of 3.0.  3.5 didn't sell all that well especially at first.  It was so similar that many people didn't bother.
 
I don't have numbers but I suspect that early sales of 3.0 were higher than 3.5 so the latter makes a much better comparison.

Quote from: NicephorusI suspect a slight bit of deception in comparing it to 3.5 instead of 3.0.  3.5 didn't sell all that well especially at first.  It was so similar that many people didn't bother.
 
I don't have numbers but I suspect that early sales of 3.0 were higher than 3.5 so the latter makes a much better comparison.

Ooooh...good catch Nice - I didn't notice it.

EDIT: Which does not take away the fact that it's still successful - for those who think I might be using this as a way to diminish the second printing.

Yes, the print run to compare it to would be 3.0's.

Anyways, I don't think anyone seriously expected the game not to have high initial sales. I always did.

The real question is how it'll be doing in a year.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPunditThe real question is how it'll be doing in a year.

Why? By then they'll have stopped supporting 3 and 3.5e right? So people who want to play "D&D" will either buy 4e, or if they happen to know something else exists they'll snag that-but I'd be willing that for the time being no one come close to WoTC's numbers.

In a year people like me will be able to buy used copies on the cheap, and if they're smart and support it like they did 3.5e we might switch.

Quote from: RPGPunditThe real question is how it'll be doing in a year.

IMO, it's going to be a very, very successful edition in the coming years.  

What about you, Pundit? How do you see it shape up in a year?

Quote from: NicephorusI suspect a slight bit of deception in comparing it to 3.5 instead of 3.0.  3.5 didn't sell all that well especially at first.  It was so similar that many people didn't bother.

I agree to a point, but you generally don't compare release 3 to release 1, you compare it to release 2. And 3.5 was release 2.

Seanchai