A few weeks ago, Hasbro announced what we’d all known for years now: That the current edition of “Dungeons & Dragons”, called 2024 Edition by Wizards of the Coast to differentiate it from 5th Edition, which launched in 2014, was actually 5.5 edition.
I mean, duh!
Here’s the thing: WotC could have called this new edition of the game 5.5e from the jump, and no one would have batted an eye. 5e was going to be 10 years old by the time this new edition was going to come out, so it only made sense to put out a revised edition of the extremely-popular 5th edition rules. Much like WotC followed the 3rd edition rules with a 3.5e several years later, the 2024 Edition would have been better served by being simply called 5.5, rather than trying to confuse the player base with odd naming choices.
Regardless, Hasbro and WotC have finally come to their senses, and are calling 2024e what everyone knew it was, being 5.5e. Good. Maybe their corporate leadership learned a lesson from this, and will just stick to the tried-&-true naming conventions D&D has been using for 50 years from now on?
Now this brings another question to mind: With sales of 2024/5.5e dwindling, and the roadmap WotC has announced for the remainder of 2026 being basically re-releases or rewrites of older books from previous editions of the game, when will WotC just give up and sell off the game to a publisher who will create, original content for the game? Because WotC certainly isn’t interested in doing that themselves, instead relying on third-party creators to make original content for the game.
In short, when will WotC sell the game to another company who will create a new edition of the game? Something that isn’t a sad rehash of 5e, with sad rewrites of 5e content.
When will we get the 6th edition?
Clearly, WotC won’t be interested in creating a 6th edition to the game anytime soon, that’s for sure. They are too busy squeezing the player base for spare dollars, while selling them cheap rewrites of older content (how many times can WotC dunk back into the “Ravenloft” well?). Eventually Hasbro will notice that the juice isn’t worth the squeeze anymore, when it comes to 5.5e, and will offload the game to someone else. Free League? Modiphius? Somehow I doubt they’d sell to Paizo, but you never know?
Regardless of who eventually buys D&D from WotC, and I am sure this will eventually happen, I truly hope they redesign the game into a much more modern system. Sure, I know the six attributes, classes, levels, and so forth are iconic, but one can incorporate those features into a new edition, while leaving behind some of the old, tired features of the game. Things can be reworked, redesigned, and improved.
We don’t need another Fifth Edition. We need a 6th edition that is worthy of the “Dungeons & Dragons” name, while also being able to stand alongside and compete with newer and frankly better TTRPGs.
