For all the good parts of 4E, one problem was that it was certainly over-monetized, with hardbacks being released every month and a very expensive online character builder. With 5e, the plea to the higher-ups reportedly was that “just let us make a version ‘for the fans’, a labor of love, and you make money off of t-shirts and pinball games and such if D&D becomes a valuable brand again”… and it became the best-selling edition.

Now I don’t know what the heck they are doing. The fact that they own D&D beyond is not a good sign.