Amid widespread backlash, D&D maker scales back “open” license changes

Enlarge / Artist's conception of the community reaction to WotC's proposed license changes. (credit: WotC)

Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has backed away from some of the most controversial portions contained in leaked drafts of an update to its decades-old Open Gaming License (OGL) following widespread fan outrage over the proposed changes.

For instance, WotC now says directly that any content already released under the previous version of the OGL will "remain unaffected" by the update. That contradicts language in a leaked draft of the license update suggesting that the earlier version of the OGL "is no longer an authorized license agreement."

The updated version of the OGL also will "not contain... any royalty structure," WotC writes, despite draft language calling for a 25 percent royalty on annual revenues above $750,000. The now-removed royalty language was "designed to apply to large corporations attempting to use OGL content" and wasn't intended "to impact the vast majority of the community," the company writes. "However, it’s clear from the reaction that we rolled a 1."

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