I just want to jump in to say that I don't think it takes the DnD brand to create a cRPG that goes viral. Don't get me wrong, I understand that the brand helps pump the well, but I believe the love of DnD and the genre in general prove that an audience exists. They might gravitate toward DnD, but that's because it's trusted and has had years to learn what kind of things players are looking for.
Still though, there's room for improvement. Another system could come along and satisfy the needs of players. It would take vision and talent and skill and hard work. Great art is important, of course, as is the world-building and story. After that, the mechanics need to be interesting to the masses. I don't claim that any of this is easy, but I reject the notion that it's not possible or not going to happen. I believe it will happen.
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Regarding DnD, I think there's plenty of room for improvement. Take the Warlock class for instance. You make a pact, right? What do you get? All of the warlocks look pretty similar, relying on Eldritch Blast. I think it's going in the right direction with things like the Pact of the Blade versus the Pact of the Tome, but it hasn't gone far enough.
If you're going to sell your soul, what do you want? I suggest that what one person wants isn't necessarily the same as another. Someone might want to be the best swordsman. Another might want magic secrets or an increased lifespan. Maybe someone wants to an enormous hulking brute, and someone else wants riches while another person bargains for beauty. Having a list of these types of options would be so much better, and there could be major and minor pacts that spell out how deep your loyalty goes to the entity in question, which would reflect the relative strength of your reward.
