D&D won’t change the OGL: Hasbro and Wizards capitulate to angry fans

Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast will abandon attempts to alter the Open Gaming License (OGL). The announcement, made Friday, comes after weeks of virulent anger from fans and third-party publishers caused the story to make international headlines — and on the eve of a high-profile movie starring Chris Pine.

The OGL was developed and refined in the lead-up to D&D’s 3rd edition, and a version of it has been in place for more than 20 years. This legal framework allows people to create their own tabletop role-playing games alongside Hasbro. The OGL has helped to buoy the whole role-playing games industry. It gave rise to many popular products by Paizo and Kobold Press as well as other creators. However, the proposed OGL amendments that were leaked and reported by io9 January 5 seemed to be threatening to destroy relationships between Wizards as well as its community. The story has since made headlines around the world — including a nearly 10-minute segment this week on NPR’s All Things ConsideredCNBC has long write-ups.

On Jan. 19, D&D’s new executive producer, Kyle Brink, issued a full-throated apology, a sharp contrast to the petulant response published in an unsigned post earlier this month. Brink also issued a new apology. New OGL — dubbed OGL 1.2 — and a request for fan feedback. With rounds of revisions following, the feedback window should close by February 3. It appears that whatever feedback Wizards received in the last few days — from “more than 10,000” fans — was enough to short-circuit that process.

The damage could already have been done, unfortunately. Many people have turned to social media for support. #OpenDnD hashtag, with many publicly committing to no longer support what was once considered the world’s most popular tabletop role-playing game. The United States has also seen other publishers step forward, such as a group of European developers and some here.

It is possible that a sudden lack of interest in the brand can have a significant impact on the company’s success. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among ThievesThe movie stars Michelle Rodriguez and Chris Pine. The film — a major initiative for Hasbro’s eOne subsidiary, and a feather in the cap of CEO Chris Cocks — is due out in theaters on March 31.

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