Editing Forgotten Realms (section)

=== 2008–2014 ===
With the release of [[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition|''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th edition]] in 2008, Wizards opted for a publishing plan featuring a series of six books per year – consisting of three core rulebooks as well as three setting books – beginning with the Forgotten Realms. The company started the cycle with the ''[[Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide]]'' (2008), the ''[[Forgotten Realms Player's Guide]]'' (2008), and ''[[Scepter Tower of Spellgard]]''.<ref name="designers90s"/>{{rp|190}} These books updated the Forgotten Realms to the newest rules system which altered the setting drastically to make it fit with the 4th edition concept of "Points of Light".<ref name="designers90s" />{{rp|190}}

The main lore change centered around an event called the Spellplague in 1385 DR.<ref name=":5" /> This cataclysm was unleashed when the goddess of magic Mystra was killed, "transforming whole nations and altering creatures. In addition, parts of Toril have fused with its long-lost twin world Abeir, whisking away some countries and adding new ones. The Underdark is more open to the surface. Thay has become a nightmare land of death and the Elves, sensing the newfound connection to the Feywild, have returned to Faerûn in force".<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Baichtal|first=John|date=2008-12-01|title=Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide Chronicles the World's Epic Changes|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/2008/12/forgotten-realm/|access-date=2020-06-30|issn=1059-1028}}</ref> The event moved the fictional world's timeline 94 years into the future to 1479 DR.<ref name=":5" /> The Spellplague acted as "a narrative justification for design changes".<ref name=":5" />{{rp|107}}

In 2008, the Forgotten Realms also became the setting for the RPGA's sole living campaign, [[Living Forgotten Realms]], replacing [[Living Greyhawk]].

In 2011, the ''[[Neverwinter Campaign Setting]]'' was released which launched the 4th edition's first major multimedia release. The Forgotten Realms city setting spawned four novels by R. A. Salvatore called the [[Neverwinter Saga]], a comic book, and a board game called ''The Legend of Drizzt'', as well as two video games – the [[Facebook]] game ''Heroes of Neverwinter'' (2011–2012) and a [[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|MMORPG]] called [[Neverwinter (video game)|''Neverwinter'']] (2013).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Appelcline|first=Shannon|title=Neverwinter Campaign Setting (4e) {{!}} Product History|url=https://www.dmsguild.com/product/163174/Neverwinter-Campaign-Setting-4e|access-date=2019-08-02|website=DMs Guild|language=en}}</ref> Laura Tommervik, from the [[Wizards of the Coast]] marketing team, explained the approach: "We use Neverwinter as the connective tissue across multiple product categories. The transmedia campaign is an opportunity for fans to experience the brand however they choose to".<ref name=":1" />

In 2013, Wizards of the Coast announced a year-long event called the [[The Sundering|Sundering]] which acted as a multimedia project to transition the Forgotten Realms to the next edition of the game.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Ohannessian|first=Kevin|title=Wizards Focuses On Forgotten Realms With 'The Sundering' Event|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2629895/dungeons-and-dragons-forgotten-realms-the-sundering/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630185903/http://www.mtv.com/news/2629895/dungeons-and-dragons-forgotten-realms-the-sundering/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 30, 2020|access-date=2020-06-30|website=MTV News|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Campbell|first=Colin|date=2013-08-06|title=Mobile game launches D&D Forgotten Realms event|url=https://www.polygon.com/2013/8/6/4594832/mobile-game-launches-d-d-forgotten-realms-event|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Polygon|language=en}}</ref> This release included a weekly [[RPGA#4th Edition|D&D Encounters]] in-store play event, a [[free-to-play]] mobile game ''Arena of War'' (2013), and a collaborative novel series: ''The Companions'' (2013) by R. A. Salvatore, ''The Godborn'' (2013) by [[Paul S. Kemp]], ''The Adversary'' (2013) by [[Erin M. Evans|Erin Evans]], ''The Reaver'' (2014) by [[Richard Lee Byers]], ''The Sentinel'' (2014) by [[Troy Denning]], and ''The Herald'' (2014) by Ed Greenwood.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-04-29|title=Erin M Evans interview: Forgotten Realms, The Sundering, D&D|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/books/erin-m-evans-interview-forgotten-realms-the-sundering-dd-2/|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Den of Geek|language=en-US}}</ref> Liz Schuh, Head of Publishing and Licensing for ''Dungeons & Dragons'', said:<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 6, 2013|title=Exclusive Interview on D&D: The Sundering, Part 1|url=https://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/26417/exclusive-interview-d-d-the-sundering-part-1|access-date=2020-06-30|website=[[ICv2]]|language=en}}</ref><blockquote>The Sundering is the last of a series of ground-shaking events. It really affects the whole world of the Forgotten Realms in a major way. You may remember when the Spell Plagues began, the two worlds of the Forgotten Realms, Abeir and Toril, crashed together. That created both geographic changes (the map of the Forgotten Realms and Faerûn actually changed due to that collision), and also changed the way magic works. It changed the pantheon of the gods. The Sundering is all about those two worlds separating—coming apart—and the process of that separation is really the story that we're telling over the next year. At the end of this story arc, Abeir and Toril will be separate again, and many of the things that happened when they crashed together will go back to the way they were before. So magic will be much like it was before the Spell Plague. Markings that marked spell-plagued people and animals will fade and go away. It's really about moving the Forgotten Realms forward, but also about bringing it around to the most beloved and most fondly remembered Forgotten Realms.</blockquote> The result of The Second Sundering, in game terms, was the transition from 4th edition rules to [[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition|5th edition]] rules of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', published in 2014.<ref name=":5" /><ref name="io9">{{cite web|author=Grabianowski, Ed|date=August 29, 2012|title=What's Coming Next for Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms|url=http://io9.com/5938988/whats-coming-next-for-dungeons--dragons-and-forgotten-realms|access-date=September 14, 2012|work=[[io9]]|archive-date=August 31, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831214049/http://io9.com/5938988/whats-coming-next-for-dungeons--dragons-and-forgotten-realms|url-status=dead}}</ref>