The question is discussed in this podcast episode.
Cynthia Williams is out at WotC, which begs the question: If you were hired as the new CEO, what would you do to right the ship of game and sail us all to safer waters?
Make dndbeyond good/better, invest in 3rd party VTT integrations, and keep selling books through those channels. Keep partnering with 3rd party content creators to get a cut of their profits selling through dndbeyond.
I'd stop trying to disrupt the industry or chase massive profits, and just be okay with reasonable profits.
They'd oust me in a week.
Do what Paizo did and make all rules free. Charge for books that contain art and adventures. Hire or contract with good writers for high quality adventures. Playtest the hell out of everything and have a robust QA department. Keep or hire diversity consultants to prevent other scandals.
Invest in the other classic settings more and revisit esoteric FR locations.
Actually balance the game for high levels and magic items. Standardize magic and item descriptions while keeping the effects and flavor.
Integrate dndbeyond with other vtts and sell content on them. Sell PDFs. Call Over D&D 6e or 5.5e ffs.
Assuming I actually wanted to keep my job and not just open source everything? Probably buy Paizo and mend the schism, then build a d&d which is streamlined and friendly to beginners but can have 1001 extensions and options for the keenos. Then maybe buy roll20 and make it into the ultimate virtual tabletop; the rules can be free and the books can be cheap if you're making a good enough VTT that people will want to pay for a subscription!
Fold into Paizo.
Honestly there isn't anything in D&D worth saving that hasn't been done better elsewhere. Making it good requires rewriting the system and lore from the ground up - they tried with 4e, but didn't have the time to complete either so all the classes functioned like casters and the setting was literally lifeless. 5e has just been a "best of" collection, dressing up like old favourites and reissuing classic adventures.
PF2e alone is everything 3.x, 4e, and 5e wanted to be, has a massively detailed and extensive setting that isn't filled with cliches and problematic elements, and has only had to undergo minor canon changes rather than universe changing events between editions. It has accessibility, diversity, and inclusion out the wazoo, heavily supports the player community, and a steady supply of high quality adventures. PF2e fits the exact same niche as D&D, while being an all around improvement, even on price.I wouldn't D&D is sooooo boring honestly I prefer games using IRL maps
If my intention as CEO is to save Dungeons & Dragons and not make a boatload of money, saving my job, and get richer, then I would dedicate every single D&D product of which my Wotzi still has a copyright to the public domain; liberating both the rules (which can't be locked down anyway), the fluff/lore, and the awesome name.
