To those of you wondering why WotC didn't just release errata for the races & monster statblocks in VGtM and MtoF so that they'd match their MotM counterparts and then keep them in print:
That originally was their plan! But then a lot of digital sourcebook users PITCHED A FIT when informed late last year that their books on DDB and elsewhere would be automatically changed with the errata once the new MotM came out. So many complaints about Wizards breaking into the books they'd purchased and changing all the statblocks and races! There were plenty of threads in this very forum!
And so, WotC listened to their customers, and decided that those books wouldn't be changed. The statblocks and races wouldn't be changed. They'd just be Legacy content from that point on. And so those who already owned the 2 digital books in question would be happy, since the statblocks and races wouldn't be changing right out from under them, and they'd have access to the lore content they'd paid for.
If they hadn't made that decision, Volo's and Tome of Foes would likely still be in print, just in a new print with a lot of errata. Then the lore would still be in publication, available to buy and read right here on this site. And there wouldn't be all the confusing duplicate Legacy versions of monsters.
But well, here we are.
Couldn't they have just released updated versions of the book when the new edition came out?
That's not changing the books and getting rid of content, that's just adding new things to the new edition. People couldn't complain about losing their content then, because it was supposed to be lost anyway when the new edition came out, and was instead brought back rather than eliminated.
No because what do you do about the books out there in the wild, you would have a long period of time where Bookshops had a mix of new and old edition versions, Amazon would need to manage which version it sold and, you then make the old version obsolete. Also you need to reprint every book where changes have been made, every character race that has been tweaked would need it's relevant book changed.
This was the best way to do it, one new book so everyone knows what they are getting.
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No because what do you do about the books out there in the wild, you would have a long period of time where Bookshops had a mix of new and old edition versions, Amazon would need to manage which version it sold and, you then make the old version obsolete. Also you need to reprint every book where changes have been made, every character race that has been tweaked would need it's relevant book changed.
This was the best way to do it, one new book so everyone knows what they are getting.