Third-party authors are worried after a copy of the new Dungeons & Dragons OGL leaked online. The amended legal document is about ten times longer than the original and is chock-full of additional Wizards of the Coast safeguards and limits for Dungeons & Dragons content developers.
Players and publishers of Dungeons & Dragons may produce and market their own material that complies with the TTRPG’s rules thanks to the Open Game License, or OGL. Recent rumours and pronouncements about One D&D’s perspective on the OGL, on the other hand, have gamers apprehensive that Wizards of the Coast is clamping down on third-party publishing.
The latest OGL obtained by Gizmodo from a credible source seems to validate many of these worries. The new One D&D OGL imposes far more red tape on third-party producers. Any commercial publisher that distributes homebrew Dungeons & Dragons material under this OGL must register their items and profits, regardless of size, albeit royalties are only needed for income in excess of $750,000.
Yesterday, I received the full text of the OGL 1.1 from a reputable source. The updated Open Gaming License is incredibly restrictive, demands community surveillance and, most importantly, renders the previous WotC OGL an unauthorized agreement. https://t.co/MjEWmw2pol
— linda codega (@lincodega) January 5, 2023
Wizards of the Coast will no longer allow items to be released under the old OGL, according to the new OGL. Existing publishers would be forced to follow the new standards, even if their products did not include new Dungeons & Dragons content. Worse, the document was planned to be released publicly on January 4 and put into effect on January 13, allowing publishers little over a week to comply with the new guidelines, according to the leaked copy.
The part of the contract that raises the most questions states that all material produced by OGL is fully owned by Wizards of the Coast. This would enable Dungeons and Dragons to use any homebrew content in official Dungeons and Dragons material without asking permission or compensating the original inventor. Similarly, Wizards of the Coast has the right to amend, cancel, or revoke the agreement with 30 days’ notice.
Third-party publishers, as one would expect, are becoming concerned about their prospects with Dungeons & Dragons. Many firms have already halted Dungeons & Dragons initiatives until Wizards of the Coast issues an official statement. Paizo, the inventor of Pathfinder and a key rival to Wizards of the Coast, has yet to comment on the developing situation.
Remember that this paper has not been issued formally; it has only been leaked. Though the draught seems to be authentic, Wizards of the Coast’s hesitation suggests that it might yet alter. A remark in the paper implies that Wizards of the Coast is aware of the complaint and welcomes input. Hopefully, Dungeons and Dragons will listen to its supporters and make the Open Game License for One D&D available.
