This theory would be more easily seen in tabletop wargames and card games. Think warhammer (40k and sigmar), mtg, yugioh. Where they really want to drive new sales. Not that your RPG ones don't, but the incentives to purchase in the physical games are higher.
But part of it is naturally just powercreep too. There's a natural power creep that comes simply from having additional options. New metas and strategies become available even if the new release is entirely balanced, thanks to there being increased options. That's where looking at card games vs warhammer is useful. There's not much crossover, releasing a new set of space dwarfs doesn't give me any new.
Also, the first release is always imbalanced. As the game matures and the metas settle, it's easier to develop something that's 'solid B tier', rather than the range of F to S+ you initially released. Shiny new things are always going to be at least decent, to drive sales, and because it's now easier to pitch things at that level with expierience.
Yes there's bias to drive sales, you'd be stupid not to. But there's also just the fact that new options create new metas, and new stuff can be more easily pitched at a solid B+ at least.
Also you need to shuffle things to keep it from being stagnant. There should be a natural rise and fall of different armies or builds or characters. Opens up new strategies and interesting interactions.
Almost every incentive is there, even if profit wasn't there, to release stuff at a good B+/A, better than a lot of the OG stuff. When doing so also drives sales, why wouldn't you?
This theory would be more easily seen in tabletop wargames and card games. Think warhammer (40k and sigmar), mtg, yugioh. Where they really want to drive new sales. Not that your RPG ones don't, but the incentives to purchase in the physical games are higher.
But part of it is naturally just powercreep too. There's a natural power creep that comes simply from having additional options. New metas and strategies become available even if the new release is entirely balanced, thanks to there being increased options. That's where looking at card games vs warhammer is useful. There's not much crossover, releasing a new set of space dwarfs doesn't give me any new.
Also, the first release is always imbalanced. As the game matures and the metas settle, it's easier to develop something that's 'solid B tier', rather than the range of F to S+ you initially released. Shiny new things are always going to be at least decent, to drive sales, and because it's now easier to pitch things at that level with expierience.
Yes there's bias to drive sales, you'd be stupid not to. But there's also just the fact that new options create new metas, and new stuff can be more easily pitched at a solid B+ at least.
Also you need to shuffle things to keep it from being stagnant. There should be a natural rise and fall of different armies or builds or characters. Opens up new strategies and interesting interactions.
Almost every incentive is there, even if profit wasn't there, to release stuff at a good B+/A, better than a lot of the OG stuff. When doing so also drives sales, why wouldn't you?