I didn't get too excited when I heard about the release of One D&D, I'm not really a D&D player having moved over to the OSR years ago.
However, the handful of times I played 5th Edition, I found it was increasingly difficult to play without having a DnD Beyond account. The shift to digital sessions and VTTs during lockdown was a gift from the Gods for WotC. A whole new breed of player was introduced to TTRPGs without the Tabletop and this online thing just felt right to them.
Now that lockdowns have been lifted, IRL play has returned but for a growing segment of DnD players they have stayed online safe within the technology bubble and IP that WotC owns. The revelation that they intend to milk this captive audience for every red cent they can should come as no surprise.
As Gary Gygax famously said,
"The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules."
Subscribing to a system with little option for homebrew and games being run by ChatGPT style bot DMs very much sounds like the plot of The Matrix.
My fervent hope is that, like Neo, this new breed of player throws off its bonds of slavery takes the red pill and finds out that other TTRPGs offer a much more interesting, diverse, challenging and satisfying experience.
