WotC has not given a warm dropping about their client base for a long time.
I think 4.0 was proof of that, though it goes back further.

Why do folks act surprised they can't be bothered with Gencon?
It's bottom line execs, not Gamers who care about the actul product
that run that ship.

Mr wvwwwwwww...

please change your name, I've had reports of the lengths causing some display issues for some people.  We can adjust the allowed length of names in the future, but in the short term, please adjust it before you post again.

Maybe it's my grognardism (I do miss the castle!) but IMO a company that has chosen not to go to Gen Con is a company that has chosen to be less relevant in gaming. I felt the same way about White Wolf when they stopped having their own booth, and nowadays when I hear about them it's more along the lines of, "oh? Are they still around? Huh."

I almost feel like WotC sat down several years ago and concocted a business plan that included "alienate as many long-term customers as possible."

On a less melodramatic note, just look at the rumors that spring up now that they don't go. Have space in the exhibit hall is showing 60k gamers "yes, we exist!" and representing that you're doing okay - not having a presence there starts rumors that you're not doing okay. My first reaction last year when I noticed them not having a presence was "It's sad that WotC isn't doing very weel," - accurate or not, that was my initial reaction.

Unfortunately, the tail end of 3.5 (splat books a-go-go) and 4th edition is what alienated their core customers. People liked the core of 3.5, and when Pathfinder took up the 3.5 banner and delivered long-desired fixes, that's when their business took off. Pathfinder is the big RPG at Gen Con now.

So, they can continue to take on Pathfinder head-on at Gen Con, or they can go where they are more welcomed and likely to get a better return on their investment. 

GenCon ends up being pretty darn expensive for companies.  The booth space has gotten very expensive, and putting up staff in hotels (downtown or otherwise), and paying for labor, meals, and travel expenses adds up quickly.  

In the case of WotC, they have the additional burden of having to go big or not go at all.  Going with a small to medium sized booth would really spark concerns and discussions about their health.

Live by Unicode (and writing your own forum), get posts messed up by Unicode (and your own code). :)

Here's hoping the Developers let us have the standard set of uppercase letters soon.

I just hope GW makes an offical appearance this year.

As others would say, Randy your an old fart, but it just doesn't feel right. The company, or what's left of it, not attending the event that made it oh many ways. The boxcar load of Monster Manuals, Player Handbooks and DMGs that were sold hand over fist at Gen Con decades ago, 100 markup. The bust down the doors of Magic player rushing to buy Magic cards and the piles of discarded wrappers all over the MECCA floors. DnD built Gen Con in those early years it just feels 'funny'(odd) for WotC not to be there. But no one listens to me.

Randu

I find it funny that WotC doesn't go for at least Magic the Gathering events.  Magic the Gathering is Hasbro's #2 income generating property behind Nerf, and yet they don't support their game at the GenCon either.  So clearly, they've chosen to ignore GenCon ... weird.

WOTC continues to make bad decision after bad decision. 

2013 marked the 20th anniversary of Magic the Gathering. The game was launched at GenCon and they treated the anniversary as a non factor opting to make their big celebration at a Comic Con. 

Their prescense at GenCon has dwindled to now nothing. 

Its their bad decisions that has caused them to get passed by Paizo. What's comical about that is Paizo's organized play is simply bad.  If WOTC kept GenCon as their primary convention they would still be top dog. Instead their farm their games out to others to run. 

No no offense to Baldman Games as I have no issues with how they run D&D at GenCon, but in my opinion no company should lease out their games to anyone else at GenCon. 

GenCon is the prime opportunity for WOTC to get new people into their games, but they choose Origins???  Origins has been dying a slow death for years. 

What if Origins cut WotC a sweet deal to go there instead of GenCon, to help turn the Origins ship around?

Now, I haven't been to Origins, so maybe you're referring to another aspect of it. But hasn't their attendence been going up? According to Wikipedia (bastions of truth, I know) their attendence went up almost 25% from 2014 to 2015.

My daughter is considering going with friends...checking their website attendance was ~15k last year. Not sure if that is up or down. But it is certainly smaller than gen con.

The fiasco for last year's All-Access cannot be laid solely at the feet of Baldman Games.  I played in it myself, and was one of many outraged at the Con.

However, the members of Baldman Games spent a lot of time trying to aleviate that outrage, and I will interested to see what they do for GenCon 2016.  Part of me hopes that they do the All-Access again.  (Mainly because I have played with the same group of people, and the same fantastic DM for the past two years.)

I will be attending both Origins and Gen Con this year, and will hopefully be able to get a ticket for the D&D Open, and All-Access as I have the prior few years.  And any other major events they put up.

If the special tickets for Gencon or Origins turn out as well as DDXP tickets did for Winter Fantasy last weekend, then I will be buying one. :)