D&D Beyond Cancellations Changed WotCs Plans

Gizmodo has revealed that the partial OGL v1.1 walkback yesterday was in response to the fan campaign to cancel D&D Beyond subscriptions, with "five digits" worth of cancellations. However, the site also reveals that management at the company believed that fans were overreating and that it would all be forgotten in a few months.

In order to delete a D&D Beyond account entirely, users are funneled into a support system that asks them to submit tickets to be handled by customer service: Sources from inside Wizards of the Coast confirm that earlier this week there were “five digits” worth of complaining tickets in the system. Both moderation and internal management of the issues have been “a mess,” they said, partially due to the fact that WotC has recently downsized the D&D Beyond support team.

Yesterday's walkback removed the royalties from the license, but still 'de-authorized' the OGL v1.0a, something which may or may not be legally possible, depending on who you ask.

Cancelled D&D Beyond Subscriptions Forced Hasbro's Hand

Swift consumer action prompted Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast to to scrap licensing updates. The players aren't done yet.

gizmodo.com

 

[Pedantic]

I would ask you is there any middle ground you would accept that does not include perpetual and irrevocable? I am curious since that is unlikely would you accept something else?

They already made that promise. Even if they wouldn't have made it now, it is too late and they need to live with it, and whatever else they want to do must start with not breaking their existing word. There is really no trusting them until they do that.

If they want to offer a separate license, that would be fine. If they want to offer no new open game content in future, that would also be fine. Attempting to break the existing promise of the OGL is the problem.

 

[mhd]

I agree that WotC sees D&D as a brand. I just think that the only part of that brand that has any real traction is the name, "Dungeons & Dragons".

Hmm, I don't know where this falls between "imprint" and "brand", but dungeons themselves seem something where the game was hugely influential.

 

[jerryrice4949]

They already made that promise. Even if they wouldn't have made it now, it is too late and they need to live with it, and whatever else they want to do must start with not breaking their existing word. There is really no trusting them until they do that.

If they want to offer a separate license, that would be fine. If they want to offer no new open game content in future, that would also be fine. Attempting to break the existing promise of the OGL is the problem.

I think they would go for that if there was a way to wall off OneD&D which is think is their true intent but it sounds like the previous OGL would allow content for that. I liked it how things were. I have a ton of KP and Ghostfire material to make just a few.

 

[mamba]

Maybe a little, but they've been scaling back on the lore for several years now.

oh yes, forget about the 5e lore, way too bland, go back to the 1e/2e lore. When I said DL I meant the original trilogy, kinda like LotR to Peter Jackson, but the D&D version of that. Not some generic fantasy setting with war.

 

[jerryrice4949]

oh yes, forget about the 5e lore, way too bland, go back to the 1e/2e lore. When I said DL I meant the original trilogy, kinda like LotR to Peter Jackson, but the D&D version of that. Not some generic fantasy setting with war.

Agreed. I hate how they have moved away from the lore of previous editions. I miss setting books which I have largely purchased from 3PP this edition.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Hmm, I don't know where this falls between "imprint" and "brand", but dungeons themselves seem something where the game was hugely influential.

Sure, but I don't see them as part of WotC's brand, seeing as they show up in some form the majority of fantasy games, OGL or not.

WotC gave up the secret ingredient to the Flaming Moe 22 years ago, and now they wish they hadn't.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I think they would go for that if there was a way to wall off OneD&D which is think is their true intent but it sounds like the previous OGL would allow content for that. I liked it how things were. I have a ton of KP and Ghostfire material to make just a few.

They need to bite the bullet and just make 6e different enough to wall off.

 

[EthanSental]

So how many people are cancelling their DDB subscription vs. completely deleting their account (whether or not they actually have a subscription)?

I’m not deleting or cancelling mine. I play dnd for the official content and even though I’ve bought plenty of 3rd party hardbacks, I haven’t used any of them so it don’t need them…I do need the 5e and future 6e game to play and enjoy. I don’t enjoy PF2 and got tired of PF and 3rd edition with the ac of 45 and attack bonuses of +35/25/15. So although I think people can sell stuff on dmsguild all the want, I’m not beholden to them having that ability to enjoy dnd…I didnt need 3pp content during the 1e/2e day and I don’t need it now.

 

[Justice and Rule]

They need to bite the bullet and just make 6e different enough to wall off.

If they managed to actually make 6E different enough to properly set up an identity they can wall off... I'd at least be interested in seeing what the heck that actually looks like.

 

[Blue]

LotR is a brand. It is setting, it is history, it is characters, it is style.

D&D is an open SRD, 'we are everything' RPG rules set.

This is Wizard's unstated issue. This is the total problem here.

The actual issue, is that D&D is not a brand at all, at least not one that is anything but generic and shallow.

D&D is absolutley a brand - it had brand recognition, the most important aspect of it.

A friend of mine used to work for GE Capital back in the 90s or early 200os. There was a poll about which brands you trusted for gas stoves, and GE did fairly well. The interesting point - they didn't make gas stoves. But the brand was so strong for kitchen that they scored well regardless of literally having nothing.

D&D has brand out the wazoo. Perhaps more than anything else - if any of the D&D rulesets under WotC had come out as a different RPG, it would likely have done well as a solid ruleset, but wouldn't be the undisputed market leader that most of the editions have been.