Statement on OGL from WotC

Wizards of the Coast has made a short statement regarding the ongoing rumors surrounding OneD&D and the Open Gaming License. In a short response to Comicbook.com, the company said "We will continue to support the thousands of creators making third-party D&D content with the release of One D&D in 2024. While it is certain our Open Game License (OGL) will continue to evolve, just as it has since its inception, we're too early in the development of One D&D to give more specifics on the OGL or System Reference Document (SRD) at this time."

Dungeons & Dragons Clarifies Support for Third-Party Material as New Edition Draws Near

Wizards of the Coast has responded to rumors of changes to the Open Game License and System [...]

comicbook.com

It's not clear what WotC means when they say that the OGL will 'continue to evolve' -- while there have been two versions of the license released over the years, each is non-rescindible so people are free to use whichever version of the license they wish. Indeed, that is written into the license itself -- "Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License."

During the D&D 4th Edition era, WotC published a new, separate license called the Game System Licence (GSL). While it was used by third party publishers, it was generally upopular.

 

[see]

The decisions as to what to release in the 3rd edition, 3.5, and 5th edition SRDs were not finalized until months after those editions were already in stores. I expect that WotC won't really decide what to release in the next SRD until after the next edition is released either.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The decisions as to what to release in the 3rd edition, 3.5, and 5th edition SRDs were not finalized until months after those editions were already in stores. I expect that WotC won't really decide what to release in the next SRD until after the next edition is released either.

Because you can't give permission of something that is not finalized...

the rumor is baseless. I was really excited about OneD&D, but right now, I fear youtubers are just killing it... I really can't believe how upset someone can be that a system you like gets a long needed upgrade. Nothing is taken away. And if wotc does not upgrade, it has to just lower the support, because at some point people are bored with the old game with unfixed holes in it.

 

[dave2008]

I'm curious how the OGL has "evolved." Hasn't the document itself remained pretty much the same since release?

Very little change to the actual OGL, but the OGC included the 3e SRD, then the 3.5e SRD, then the 5e SRD, and then an updated to the 5e SRD.

The decisions as to what to release in the 3rd edition, 3.5, and 5th edition SRDs were not finalized until months after those editions were already in stores. I expect that WotC won't really decide what to release in the next SRD until after the next edition is released either.

IIRC correctly the 5e SRD came out more than a year after the 5e PHB came out.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Here's the exact statement:

We will continue to support the thousands of creators making third-party D&D content with the release of One D&D in 2024. While it is certain our Open Game License (OGL) will continue to evolve, just as it has since its inception, we're too early in the development of One D&D to give more specifics on the OGL or System Reference Document (SRD) at this time.

Now personally, I don't find that any more reassuring that not saying anything, because that's all they're doing here. Indeed the disastrous 4E GSL was promoted as essentially an "evolution" or development of the OGL, for example. Even after people saw it, for a brief period WotC tried that "it's just a few necessary changes, there's still an SRD!" messaging for the GSL before it became clear it wasn't going to work.

On the other hand, there's nothing particularly alarming about saying nothing from a company as deeply corporate as modern WotC.

If the WotC of say, 2007 (or 2015, even) had said this, I'd be a little concerned. If Paizo or the like was saying it re: their OGL/SRD I'd be pretty concerned. But that's because both those companies were more communicative and fan-oriented (which isn't always a good thing - the whole Mearls idiocy stemmed entirely from him acting like he was running a small company and was in charge of it and had no legal or PR departments).

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Yeah that's...a non-statement.

Which means it should have a non-impact. Whatever concerns I had before aren't changed by this lack-of-a-statement. The only thing communicated here is that WotC wants us to know that they know people are concerned. That's it. That's the sum total of the content here.

 

[carmachu]

Not sure how to take it. It’s not exactly reassuring there.

Nice to say you will still support 3rd party creators. But the last sentence it’s too early to in development to talk about OGL and SRD specifics has echos of the 4th edition GSL delay and that fiasco.

So coin flip

 

[Staffan]

The decisions as to what to release in the 3rd edition, 3.5, and 5th edition SRDs were not finalized until months after those editions were already in stores. I expect that WotC won't really decide what to release in the next SRD until after the next edition is released either.

As I recall, the 3.5e SRD was released nigh-simultaneously with the 3.5e core books. Early 3.5e was probably the height of OGC support at Wizards, both with the immediate release of the SRD and slightly later with the release of most of the Expanded Psionics Handbook and Unearthed Arcana as OGC (plus epic and divine rules from late 3.0). Late 3.0 was also when they allowed Necromancer Games to create Tome of Horrors, thereby dragging a whole lot of "classic" D&D monsters into the OGC canon – some of which have seen use as recently as PF2's Impossible Lands.

 

[JEB]

I'm glad they released a statement, at least that shows they're acknowledging the concern. Hopefully that awareness will factor into their decision-making process for One D&D and third parties, which appears to be ongoing.

 

[Oofta]

This is typical corporate CYA. They're damned if they do, damned if they don't. They can't give any more details yet because they probably haven't made a final decisions about the SRD.

People are making a mountain out of a molehill to drive clicks.

 

[Clint_L]

Has anyone seen anything from the OneD&D test materials released thus far that make them think this is going to be an issue? Because I sure haven't. We are not looking at significant changes to the game. If the new books are indeed compatible with the existing 5e books, as WotC states is their intent, and as everything they have so far released supports, then it will also work with the 5e compatible materials put out under the current OGL/SRD.

This is really just a bunch of folks shouting that "the sky is falling!" and reading ill intent and terrible design into everything that comes out. Mostly the same folks insisting that OneD&D will be a new edition that will make 5e obsolete, despite all evidence to the contrary.

OneD&D books are already being released. Monsters of the Multiverse did not unmake 5e. It will be alright.