Dungeons & Dragons maker backs off OGL changes after fans revolt

After more than a week of controversy, Dungeons & Dragons maker Wizards of the Coast says it’s backing off plans to alter its Open Gaming License in a way that incensed fans and led to some calling for a boycott.

Wizards released a response to Friday’s leaked drafts for the Open Gaming License. The Hasbro-owned company now says that it will not require creators to pay a royalty, and that content previously created for the 5th edition of the tabletop role-playing game will “remain unaffected.”

Wizards’ statement reads like a full retreat:

Three major goals were in our minds when the OGL was first revised. First, we wanted the ability to prevent the use of D&D content from being included in hateful and discriminatory products. Second, we wanted to address those attempting to use D&D in web3, blockchain games, and NFTs by making clear that OGL content is limited to tabletop roleplaying content like campaigns, modules, and supplements. And third, we wanted to ensure that the OGL is for the content creator, the homebrewer, the aspiring designer, our players, and the community — not major corporations to use for their own commercial and promotional purpose.

These goals are based on two principles. (1) We have to be responsible stewards for the game. (2) The OGL is there for the enjoyment of fans. They have never wavered in one second.

This is why the OGL’s early drafts included these provisions. The draft language was made available to content creators and publishers for their input before finalization. The draft language allowed us to clarify what OGL products cover and address discriminatory or hateful conduct. Additionally, it included royalty language meant to help large corporations that want to use OGL content. We didn’t intend to affect the majority of the community.

However, it’s clear from the reaction that we rolled a 1. It is now clear that all three of these goals cannot be achieved while remaining true to our principles.

Wizards says that the new OGL “covers only content for TTRPGs. This means other expressions such as livestreams and cosplay are not covered by the OGL. [and virtual tabletop platforms] will remain unaffected by any OGL update.” Furthermore, any content already created based on the existing OGL “will also remain unaffected.”

That statement is clearly intended to put at ease the many individual creators who now publish casual actual plays of their groups playing D&D, as well as companies who have invested time and resources into building online tabletop platforms like Roll20 that rose to prominence during the pandemic.

Wizards has also decided to scrap its royalty structure.

What [the new OGL]It will not include any royalty structure. This will exclude the license back clause that many people feared was a way for us to steal work. This thought was never in our heads. Any new OGL will give you the right to all content. We won’t. All language used will clearly and unambiguously state this fact. License back language is intended to safeguard us and our partners against creators who wrongly claim that we stole their work due to coincidental similarities. This risk cannot be ignored as we invest in the games we love, continue our partnerships in television and film and look forward to forming new partnerships. While the OGL will address this risk, it will not include a license return nor will we suggest we own rights to content that you create. This game is unique because of your ideas and imagination.

The tumult kicked off on Dec. 20 when, according to sources verified by Polygon, a new version of the Open Gaming License (OGL) was shared by D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast with some of its close publishing partners. The OGL was developed and refined in the lead up to D&D’s 3rd edition, and has been in place for some 20 years. It is part of the legal framework by which creators have been able to build their own tabletop RPGs alongside Hasbro’s own brand. This has led to the development of games such as PathfinderYou can also find success stories at Paizo, Kobold Press and other companies.

However, io9 reported that it had seen the entire draft and found multiple trap doors that could easily have entrapped these very same companies. One of these was the clause to revoke the OGL and thus remove the cover from the eyes of dozens upon dozens independent creators and publishers. A third clause mandated that OGL-related earnings be reported to Wizards. Wizards could demand that OGL-related earnings exceeding $750,000 be reported to them. This would start in 2024.

On Dec. 21, the D&D team published a blog post hoping to tamp down on concerns. In that post, Wizards said its royalty scheme would impact “fewer than 20 creators worldwide.” But following the leak of the draft, fan outrage spiked. Many organizations were organized under the provisions of this #OpenDnD hashtag, while others called for fans to cancel membership in D&D Beyond, the online version of D&D. That effort temporarily overwhelmed portions of the D&D Beyond website. Meanwhile, several online petitions also started gathering signatures — including one from former Wizards vice president and OGL architect Ryan Dancey.

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