On the idea of "edition":
I think it is important to remember that 5E ("Five Ee") actually has meaning in the broader D&D playing community, especially after the OGL kerfuffle. You hear lots of commenters use the term to zero in on the rules distinct from WotC's efforts. Tales of the Valiant is a 5E game. LevelUp is a 5E game. Cubicle7 has a 5E line. None of these are D&D, intentionally so.
WotC surely knows this and is not going to disengage from that portion of the audience by calling 2024 anything other than 5E. Even people that play TotV are going to buy some WotC 5E books.
I think it is important to remember that 5E ("Five Ee") actually has meaning in the broader D&D playing community, especially after the OGL kerfuffle. You hear lots of commenters use the term to zero in on the rules distinct from WotC's efforts. Tales of the Valiant is a 5E game. LevelUp is a 5E game. Cubicle7 has a 5E line. None of these are D&D, intentionally so.
WotC surely knows this and is not going to disengage from that portion of the audience by calling 2024 anything other than 5E. Even people that play TotV are going to buy some WotC 5E books.