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Those are all great moves. And they tempt me to look at writing for some new game systems.

Attack of the Clones has made 302 mil, worldwide, since 2002. That's 500 mil in 2023 dollar. Rise of Skywalker has made 515 mil worldwide since 2019. When you have making half-billion dollar movies, yes, you are happy anytime the last one you made didn't gross less (adjusted for inflation, even)...

Ryan did anticipate that, actually. He just stated it could never hurt WotC sales because WotC would have to do 5 specific, obviously detrimental things WotC would never, ever do, all at once, for anyone to be able to create a game using the OGL that could bite into their customer base. WotC...

First, a Cease and Desist. Then, a lawsuit Hasbro can afford, and you likely cannot. ("You" being any 3pp publisher of course, myself very much included.)

That claim was a big part of why the OGL was originally created. The belief, espoused by Ryan Dancey in particular, that "network externalities" drove the popularity of D&D. It was discussed a lot on the "Gentleman's Agreement" pre-3.0 OGL discussion email group in 1999, which I was part of. The...

Well, there are people who left WotC last year. But it kinda doesn't matter. It's a massive corporation. I am sure lots of voices are saying it's a bad idea. But if those people aren't in charge, they can't stop it.

I have other sources, who aren't going public, unrelated to Mark and Stephen. There are clear signs they are getting their info from a different source and that it corroborates (and predates) rather than duplicates what Mark and Stephen have. To be honest, it freaks me out. I still find this...

If this leak is an accurate representation of any of WotC's language regarding OGL 1.1 (either language within the license itself, or language that is similar to a FAQ for OGL 1.1), it represents a serious industry-changing bit of news. How bad the news is depends on lots of details the leak...

Absolutely no-one is going to be sued. Paizo has no interest in starting a war with Hasbro, Hasbro has no interest in making this more visible than it already is, and Paramount isn;t going to do anything unless forced to by Paizo... which isn't happening. Most likely, everyone will shrug and...

There are a of of factors about who is doing how well. For example, anyone in the US has concerns paying for health insurance and heath care that are far from universal, and that can make the difference between "pretty happy with how things are going" and "three sicks days in a row and we'll get...

I can! The "classic" three-tiered tabletop game distribution model works like this. A game company makes a product. They sell it to distributors at a discount. This may be as much as a 65% discount. The distributor then sells it to retailers, and a lesser discount (perhaps 45% off). The...

I certainly did not mean to imply this trend is universal. I completely accept your experience.

I gave my US-focused thoughts on that at my blog last month. https://owenkcstephens.com/2020/06/26/the-game-industryin-these-uncertain-times/

I'm one of the people who got laid off in the oughts by WotC. But the culture has seemed different for a number of years now. Even having left Seattle and moved back to OK, I'd happily consider the right job at WotC nowadays.

I am not burned out. I am also not free to take a sabbatical. I am sharing knowledge common within the industry, that isn't much discussed publicly.

It's even more than that. IF I was making 100k a year, it would mean the Game Companies, large and small, had more money to throw at problems. Archiving art assets takes time. Training people to be managers takes time and money. having staff that can handle more than the creation of products...

It's worth noting that I wasn't avoiding it intentionally. I just didn't know how effective it was, didn't drink, and got tired easily. In many ways, I have reached a level where it has less impact on me. because I get invited to private events, and if I sit in a lobby of a hotel where convetion...

Several, depending on your definition of "major." Mongoose and Pelgrane leap immediately to mind. But even if I had direct knowledge of their situations, I wouldn't call out a specific company without their approval.

More than any other TTRPG person in the same position in the world. Less than anyone with the same skills doing the same job for a video game or movie company of the same profile or size.

I am not a Paizo employee. Haven't been for a year. I am a freelance writer, developer, and consultant. I am the Publisher for Rogue Genius Games. If you want to ask a game company to respond, the one I run is really the only reasonable option. I am not discussing the business practices of any...