DnD backlash over OGL sparks fiery response from Wizards of the Coast

An official announcement from Wizards of the Coast dropped today, following multiple delays of a Dungeons & Dragons Open Gaming License update, which included changes based on community reactions. 

Fan reactions have pressured WotC and Hasbro to reexamine the Open Gaming License (OGL) for Dungeons & Dragons. For the first time since leaks of the original OGL flooded the internet, WotC released an official response today. The response doubles down on original intentions but admits changes do need to occur to specific wording within the updated OGL. 

“You’re going to hear people say that they won, and we lost because making your voices heard forced us to change our plans,” said WotC. “Those people will only be half right. They won—and so did we.”

Much of the anger from the DnD community stemmed from the wording in the original OGL that claimed WotC could own the content created by anyone who uses the OGL and that a royalty structure was being implemented for organizations that used the OGL and brought in more than $75,000 in annual revenue.

In response to reactions from the DnD community, specifically the canceling of DnD Beyond subscriptions, WotC is altering aspects of the OGL to ensure no royalty structure is put into place and that neither WotC nor Hasbro will have the right to take content created by others. 

A second version of the updated OGL has allegedly been shown to a handful of DnD creators, with some questioning the aggressive nature WotC has taken in their official response. According to a Twitter post, the OGL 2.0 version still has plenty of issues that need to get discussed with creators and the community. 

The OGL 2.0 version will not release today, as was originally intended, and no date has been announced at the time of writing.