Here is a link to the DP announcement. I must say, I am blown away, but it also somehow makes a lot of sense to me. Retirement, it seems, doesn't stick anymore. 

Here is the LA Times article on it as well. 

Edit: Both are snagged from the Darrington Press Discord. 

I doubt that they even intended to truly retire, it's only been two months and both of them got jobs at the same time with the same company.

Personally, I think they probably wanted a smaller gig. The dynamics will be very different, probably more creative input as well.

Perkins got to keep the hat!

That makes a lot of sense. Different leaders, different games. There is a lot of 'new' that probably will be very exciting for them. 

Creativity is not something you retire from; you do it till you die, and that's pretty much it.  It's not a choice, it's just something that happens.

What is surprising about this story is that Perkins and Crawford, with their clout and extensive experience, could have done pretty much anything and gone anywhere.  The fact that they chose Darrington Press says a lot more about Darrington Press and specifically Daggerheart than it does about Perkins and Crawford.

There is big shift taking place in the business of RPG's.  I don't know exactly what it is, but I played Daggerheart for 3 hours in a short introductory session and I'm 100% sure I will never play or run D&D, any version for the rest of my life.  Do with that, what you will.

Quote from OSR4Ever >>

Creativity is not something you retire from; you do it till you die, and that's pretty much it.  It's not a choice, it's just something that happens.

What is surprising about this story is that Perkins and Crawford, with their clout and extensive experience, could have done pretty much anything and gone anywhere.  The fact that they chose Darrington Press says a lot more about Darrington Press and specifically Daggerheart than it does about Perkins and Crawford.

There is big shift taking place in the business of RPG's.  I don't know exactly what it is, but I played Daggerheart for 3 hours in a short introductory session and I'm 100% sure I will never play or run D&D, any version for the rest of my life.  Do with that, what you will.

 As a creative myself (not good enough to make money off of it, but I love doing it anyway), I fully agree. You can't ever really turn it off. 

I also think it speaks to the kind of environment, people, and the game itself that they both jumped aboard DP. Having played a one-shot of Daggerheart last week, I must say that the game is a significant improvement over the beta. When I tried the beta out, it was okay. Not great, but definitely fun. It seems that DP listened to the feedback of fans and made some corrections that really improved the flow of the game. So I largely agree with you about Daggerheart specifically. I'll probably still play D&D because I am in two PBPs right now, but Daggerheart really leans into what I love about playing TTRPGs and it will be a prioritized game going forward. 

Also, good luck to anyone who hasn't gotten it yet. DH is sold out everywhere at the moment. 

I don’t think I’m going to be switching from D&D any time soon but of all the “D&D killers” that came in the wake of the OGL cock up Daggerheart is definitely looking like the one that’ll have the biggest impact. Most of the others have sank without trace after the initial announcement whilst DH seems to be only gaining speed. Let’s not forget as well that Critical Role played a big part in the current D&D popularity and have a fanatical fanbase, if they announce Campaign 4 is switching systems I can see D&D suddenly losing a lot of players  

And just like that, D&D falls back into the nerdy obscurity it came from and no one mourned its passing.

/endsarcasm

Quote from CunningSmile >>

I don’t think I’m going to be switching from D&D any time soon but of all the “D&D killers” that came in the wake of the OGL cock up Daggerheart is definitely looking like the one that’ll have the biggest impact. Most of the others have sank without trace after the initial announcement whilst DH seems to be only gaining speed. Let’s not forget as well that Critical Role played a big part in the current D&D popularity and have a fanatical fanbase, if they announce Campaign 4 is switching systems I can see D&D suddenly losing a lot of players  

 The only one I've heard about since is Daggerheart...and currently it's getting more buzz at my LGS than D&D. We'll see if it goes anywhere though. Probably become yet another TTRPG that people talk about and play, but not really challenge D&D's dominance.

I feel like it's a natural move for them.

If they needed new energy and inspiration, shifting to a brand-new game system, plus moving to a well-known company with friends, makes sense to me.

Also, I don't know if CR will keep playing D&D or switch directly to Daggerheart, maybe both? If that's the case, Chris and Jeremy will likely still be connected to D&D in some way.

Even with these big names attached I still have very little interest in Daggerheart. I guess it has the biggest chance of breaking out from the "OGL Crisis Crew" now? Maybe?

Good.
May the working conditions be all they could hope, may the co-workers be pleasant and inspiring and may the coffee never run dry.

I also hope to see them in a live play, Perkins has always been DMing, it is his turn to play, even if it isn't his usual system.

It’ll probably be the next Pathfinder in the end if it holds out enough to get entrenched. Paizo certainly doesn’t seem to be doing poorly, but at the end of the day D&D is still at the forefront of public consciousness, even with the push Paizo made for the ORC or whatever it was in the wake of the OGL- and whatever happened to that new thing everyone was touting? Heck Paizo jumped when D&D was in a much more pronounced slump with the much more base-breaking Fourth Edition and yet 5e doesn’t seem to lack for an audience.

Quote from The_Ace_of_Rogues >>

It’ll probably be the next Pathfinder in the end if it holds out enough to get entrenched. Paizo certainly doesn’t seem to be doing poorly, but at the end of the day D&D is still at the forefront of public consciousness, even with the push Paizo made for the ORC or whatever it was in the wake of the OGL- and whatever happened to that new thing everyone was touting? Heck Paizo jumped when D&D was in a much more pronounced slump with the much more base-breaking Fourth Edition and yet 5e doesn’t seem to lack for an audience.

 I agree that it is a tall order to say it would replace D&D. I suspect that that isn't the goal though. From my own play experience and from watching it played by CR, it just seems that it was a game designed to lend more to their show. I don't know this is the case, but it seems like it to me. It is a very narrative, story-driven kind of game, with mechanics in place to specifically support that. Because they are so different, I think there is room at the table for both games; they touch on similar but not entirely overlapping needs. But I also say that as a person who likes trying new systems out, like Pathfinder and many others. People who find the one thing they like and stick with it (like D&D) probably won't really feel the need to explore Daggerheart and I think that's fine. D&D does a lot of things really well. 

I am really excited about this announcement because it really adds to the legitimacy of Daggerheart for those who are not necessarily critters, but who want to try other systems. 

Not that there needed to be a nail in the coffin of the question "Will Campaign 4 be in Daggerheart"....  With these two names and the surprising sell out sales of DH I am very optimistic for a robust alternative.  Just need a portal of their own that has the reach like DNDBeyond and diverse platforms of DriveThruRPG or it's kind. 

"D&D Killer"?  Naw, there will always be the ancient/storied IP.  We can just pray though when Hasbro sells it pennies on the dollar in the end that perhaps DP can pick it up and give it the love necessary for it to regain it's respect among the global nerdom. 

Quote from Caerwyn_Glyndwr >>

There is a fairly large omission from the press release - their actual titles.  In this kind of situation, there are two general ways high level individuals in the big pond move to a little pond.  Either they join the staff in truth, working as significant designers spearheading projects, or they take a more advisory role, consulting every now and then and lending their name to letterhead. Both are great options for both those looking to enjoy a lower key retirement and the company that manages to catch that level of talent.  I will be rather curious to see what role they take moving forward

 From the Darrington Press article: Perkins would be Creative Director and Crawford Game Director, matching their roles at Wizards then.

Quote from TR_Tittus >>

Just need a portal of their own that has the reach like DNDBeyond and diverse platforms of DriveThruRPG or it's kind. 

Demiplane is a tool for managing and creating characters and referencing the books, including the free Daggerheart SRD / Basic Rules, much like D&D Beyond does. It was created by the same people who created D&D Beyond. It is automatically linked into Roll20 so you can also view and manage sheets through Roll20 without needing extensions or anything and use Roll20's VTT for it. This is a free service. Demiplane also offers sub for content sharing.

https://app.demiplane.com/nexus/daggerheart

Quote from The_Ace_of_Rogues >>

It’ll probably be the next Pathfinder in the end if it holds out enough to get entrenched. Paizo certainly doesn’t seem to be doing poorly, but at the end of the day D&D is still at the forefront of public consciousness, even with the push Paizo made for the ORC or whatever it was in the wake of the OGL- and whatever happened to that new thing everyone was touting? Heck Paizo jumped when D&D was in a much more pronounced slump with the much more base-breaking Fourth Edition and yet 5e doesn’t seem to lack for an audience.

 Pathfinder's biggest advantage starting out though was no (or at least relatively minimal) learning curve for those who wanted to stick with what was for them the prevailing edition of D&D at the time, 3.5e. Daggerheart is... not that. If any game could be said to be that, it would probably be Tales of the Valiant, and even the folks who do want to take on learning and teaching a wholly new ruleset to their playgroups will likely get split to some degree between DH and MCDM / Draw Steel.

Quote from TarodNet >>

I feel like it's a natural move for them.

If they needed new energy and inspiration, shifting to a brand-new game system, plus moving to a well-known company with friends, makes sense to me.

Also, I don't know if CR will keep playing D&D or switch directly to Daggerheart, maybe both? If that's the case, Chris and Jeremy will likely still be connected to D&D in some way.

 CR are currently doing a Daggerheart series in Matt's Age of Umbra setting. I sort of feel like Exandria will stay D&D, and they'll keep expanding the Daggerheart setting(s?) with their own content. That's just a guess though.