Hasbro won't back off from deauthorizing the OGL, and nor should they.

[Amrûnril]

I spelled that out in the OP. The numbers just aren't there. There is no statistical correlation between Hasbro's stock movement and the OGL.

Weighed on the scale of Hasbro's overall finances, the costs of attempting to deauthorize the OGL were likely small. But the costs didn't just have to be absorbable, they also had to be worth the perceived reward. Evidently, the Hasbro/WotC leadership stopped beleiving that to be the case. Which I think was clearly correct, even from a cynical business perspective. The OGL dispute was a bigger threat to the success of WotC's VTT and other future products than the OGL itself ever was.

 

[Parmandur]

Weighed on the scale of Hasbro's overall finances, the costs of attempting to deauthorize the OGL were likely small. But the costs didn't just have to be absorbable, they also had to be worth the perceived reward. Evidently, the Hasbro/WotC leadership stopped beleiving that to be the case. Which I think was clearly correct, even from a cynical business perspective. The OGL dispute was a bigger threat to the success of WotC's VTT and other future products than the OGL itself ever was.

I doubt that Chris Cocks and Cynthia Williams appreciated whoever pushed for this getting people to call for their blood on social media.

 

[Sacrosanct]

It's okay to just abandon a hypothesis that's proven incorrect.

My hypothesis is that hasbro had no financial incentive based on the numbers to reverse course. How has that been proven false? Do you have any data that proves DND sales lost to the OGL mess is significant enough to drive the stock? Do you have insider knowledge that proves the financial impact of wanting to revoke the OGL is the reason they changed course? Because I haven’t seen any.

 

[Parmandur]

My hypothesis is that hasbro had no financial incentive based on the numbers to reverse course. How has that been proven false? Do you have any data that proves DND sales lost to the OGL mess is significant enough to drive the stock? Do you have insider knowledge that proves the financial impact of wanting to revoke the OGL is the reason they changed course? Because I haven’t seen any.

They must have one, even if it isn't stock right now.

 

[Umbran]

Stock price plunged 8% on Friday morning. By Friday afternoon, they capitulated.

You make it sound like they saw the stock price change that morning, and had the 5.1 SRD ready and published with the CC license just after lunch. That seems like an implausible speed for cause and effect. Someone had made the decision to at least prepare that eventuality before Friday.

 

[Umbran]

It's okay to just abandon a hypothesis that's proven incorrect.

More importantly, it is more than okay - it is proper - to hold hypotheses that you have no way to test in abeyance. Staking out a position when you have no way to verify it you are correct is not wisdom.

 

[Bix and Box]

Do you have insider knowledge that proves the financial impact of wanting to revoke the OGL is the reason they changed course? Because I haven’t seen any.

How hard have you been looking?

A whistleblower from Wizards of the Coast breaks silence about the execs who own Dungeons & Dragons, says they "see consumers as obstacles between them and their money"

Discover topics like gaming, dnd, tabletop games, dungeons and dragons, fantasy, and the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes, entertaining gifs, inspiring stories, viral videos, and so much more from...

imgur.com

"Their decision making is based entirely on the provable impact to their bottom line Specifically they are looking at DDB subscriptions and cancellations as it is the quickest financial data they currently have."

"I have never once heard management refer to customers in a positive manner, their communication gives me the impression they see customers as obstacles between them and their money..."

"I will repeat, the main thing this leadership is looking at is DDB subscription cancellations."

 

[Sacrosanct]

How hard have you been looking?

A whistleblower from Wizards of the Coast breaks silence about the execs who own Dungeons & Dragons, says they "see consumers as obstacles between them and their money"

Discover topics like gaming, dnd, tabletop games, dungeons and dragons, fantasy, and the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes, entertaining gifs, inspiring stories, viral videos, and so much more from...

imgur.com

"Their decision making is based entirely on the provable impact to their bottom line Specifically they are looking at DDB subscriptions and cancellations as it is the quickest financial data they currently have."

"I have never once heard management refer to customers in a positive manner, their communication gives me the impression they see customers as obstacles between them and their money..."

"I will repeat, the main thing this leadership is looking at is DDB subscription cancellations."

Lol. That’s hardly evidence. Let me guess, same source that said they are charging $30 a month for Beyond?

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

"I will repeat, the main thing this leadership is looking at is DDB subscription cancellations."

I think one key thing overlooked in this statement is: Yes, they can see all the DDB cancellations. But, they can also see who cancelled DDB that ever bought anything digitally from DDB, even if they bought piecemeal parts. I think it is a safe bet that the vast majority of DDB accounts are only used by players, and maybe a decent amount my players who are already sharing the DM's books in the campaign.

I still put my money on all of this having been part of Astra Fox's push to spin D&D off from Hasbro/Wizards and put three new people of their choosing onto the board.

 

[Bix and Box]

You make it sound like they saw the stock price change that morning, and had the 5.1 SRD ready and published with the CC license just after lunch.

Sure, when you quote me out of context. But had you only read the very next sentence, you would have discovered what happened before that morning...

"Before that, Paizo announced crazy record sales. WotC was watching unprecedented cancellations of subscriptions, with no end in sight. And the fan backlash endangered the earning potential of Hasbro's movie."

(Hopefully by bolding it, you won't miss it this time.)

All that sowed the seeds of panic. The stock plunge was apparently the final straw.