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.
