I still don't see it as a concern.

The reason folks are concerned that WOTC might pull D&D is that D&D is the bread and butter of the game stores. Ergo, no D&D, no game stores. But times are different.

Just take a look Pathfinder's success. Wow. Stores are making plenty of money by carrying Pathfinder.


I think there is plenty of room for 4e to just fold. I don't think that it would have dire consequences for the community. (Except for rabid fans such as myself. UHF now available in Emo.) There are lots of other games in the offing. And the stores will just have to make do with the excessively popular Magic.


Now if WOTC folded, that would be an entirely different matter. 3 or 4 nights a week in town are WOTC events. That would hurt the LGS.

I think there's a bit more to it than that.

"I play RPGs"
"What? Like World of Warcraft?"
"No. Table top RPGs. ..."
Blank look.
"Role playing. ..."
Worried look.
"Dungeons & Dragons. That sort of thing."
"Oh, right."

People who aren't familiar with tabletop RPGs will at least have heard of D&D. They probably wont know how it works, but they will know it's a game.
- Which makes it an accessible entry point for new players.

Remove D&D and the table top RPG hobby suddenly becomes even more obscure. Therein lies the problem.