So over the weekend there was talk of an announcement coming from Wizards of the Coast (MANY thanks to
The Harnish
Germany
Duisburg
NRW
Cult of The Harnish Leader
for bringing this to my attention so I could keep my eyes open). It was said that this would be announced through the NY Times. After much speculation, it appears that many were correct: Wizards has announced it is working on a new edition of D&D.
It also seems that they're going to those they are marketing to for suggestions:
Ethan Gilsdorf, NY Times wrote:
But there might yet be hope for Dungeons & Dragons, known as D&D. On Monday, Wizards of the Coast, the Hasbro subsidiary that owns the game, is expected to announce that a new edition is under development, the first overhaul of the rules since the contentious fourth edition was released in 2008. And Dungeons & Dragons’ designers are also planning to undertake an exceedingly rare effort for the gaming industry over the next few months: asking hundreds of thousands of fans to tell them how exactly they should reboot the franchise.
And if you aren't sure how spot on the NY Times is on the subject, here's a snipped straight from the wizard's mouth:
Mike Mearls wrote:
That is why we are excited to share with you that starting in Spring 2012, we will be taking this process one step further and conducting ongoing open playtests with the gaming community to gather feedback on the new iteration of the game as we develop it. With your feedback and involvement, we can make D&D better than ever. We seek to build a foundation for the long-term health and growth of D&D, one rooted in the vital traits that make D&D unique and special. We want a game that rises above differences of play styles, campaign settings, and editions, one that takes the fundamental essence of D&D and brings it to the forefront of the game. In short, we want a game that is as simple or complex as you please, its action focused on combat, intrigue, and exploration as you desire. We want a game that is unmistakably D&D, but one that can easily become your D&D, the game that you want to run and play.
After so much outcry about 4E stripping the game from its roots (whether accurate or inaccurate), it seems that Wizards is finally going to the source in an attempt to gear the next iteration of this classic series towards those most likely to purchase it: us.
If you'd like to read the whole NY Times article, here it is!
And here is Mike Mearls official announcement from wizards.com. You can read the announcement directly from him as well as sign up for info on playtesting the new edition.
Ethan Gilsdorf, NY Times wrote:
...
I grew up playing AD&D.. then 2e. 4E is a new beast altogether. It's a totally different game. Pathfinder had to become the spiritual continuation of the original line and that was awesome because it was open source! WotC is jealous now and wants to make some of that 3.5 pathfinder money.. but it's an open source world now and I don't think WotC is going to be able to wrestle the crown out of Pathfinder's hand. 
