I didn't mean to imply that they are the first to attempt/do it. Perhaps I should instead say that they are attempting to bring the TT experience to video games in a better, deeper, and more thorough way than has been done before.
I'm pretty sure visible die rolling was just an internal suggestion they thought would be funky! It would obviously please some players ( seemed quite popular during the gameplay reveal ) more than others. But they don't use it every time you roll during combat, and I suspect ( like you ) that the novelty will become a drag at some point.
