D&D Next to be Released Next Summer

Today, Wizards of the Coast announced the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons will be hitting store shelves next summer. This news matches what most people have been speculating for awhile now, and this date was most likely chosen to allow a Gen Con release. The official announcement states: 

Wizards of the Coast today announced that the highly-anticipated new rules system for Dungeons & Dragons will release in summer 2014. After nearly two years of an open public playtest and more than 175,000 playtest participants, the rules are complete. Players will be immersed in rich storytelling experiences across multiple gaming platforms as they face off against the most fearsome monster of all time. 

"Just like a perfectly balanced party, Wizards has worked cohesively with fans, designers and partners to create the next generation of D&D," said Nathan Stewart, Brand Director for Dungeons & Dragons. "We whole-heartedly thank all of the play test participants, whose feedback has proven instrumental in shaping the future of Dungeons & Dragons." 

While I personally lost interest in D&D Next during the playtest, I will most likely give the core rulebooks read when they are released to see if the final product changes my opinion. I'm also curious about this "multiple gaming platforms" point. Does this mean Wizards will continue with the subscription-based DDI model, or does that mean D&D Next will be released in connection with other games that belong to the D&D brand? I wish they would be a little more specific.

Since I really don't have that much of a horse in this race, my biggest concern right now is if they are going to change the name or not. I stand by my belief that D&D Next is a idiotic name and reminds me of the stupid naming processes of the 90's (the only way it could have been worse is if they called it "D&D Extreme" instead). I just wish they'd call it 5th Edition and leave it at that.