How long do we wait for WoTC to speak?

[Enrahim2]

According to this leak/rumour Thread by @andreas_mwg on Thread Reader App WoTC are now planning to say on January 16th that existing published OGL 1.0 material is ok (can stay up), but that anything new has to use the new evil OGL 2.0 - and that OGL 2.0 will remain a trap, so this looks like confirmation that new products will need to be de-OGL'd.

"
The 'creator badge'
this seems a bit sus, and we'll have to see this badge when when it comes out.
but apparently the badge will have the D&D ampersand on it making it easy to identify for wizards and consumers, and remove the need for the OGL text inside the product " (My bolding)

Also worth noting that the OGL was the place where attribution was placed in OGL-1.0a. So not being open* (no provision for building on other people's work) is also an important enabler for being able to remove it

(*A possible (miss)reading of 1.0a section 9 however could indicate that at least the leaked OGL-1.1 would have enabled creators to use OGC with no attribution under OGL-1.1, though - hence making it "open" with regard to existing OGC)

 

[pemerton]

According to this leak/rumour Thread by @andreas_mwg on Thread Reader App WoTC are now planning to say on January 16th that existing published OGL 1.0 material is ok (can stay up), but that anything new has to use the new evil OGL 2.0 - and that OGL 2.0 will remain a trap, so this looks like confirmation that new products will need to be de-OGL'd.

In what sense has to/need? As in, WotC wishes this to be so? Or a new legal reason has been discovered?

 

[S'mon]

In what sense has to/need? As in, WotC wishes this to be so? Or a new legal reason has been discovered?

As in WoTC says you can't do it & will threaten you. I think we agree their legal basis for this claim is very weak.

 

[jerryrice4949]

I think that's correct, as of about 3 days ago. WoTC's chance to salvage the situation was slipping away around the start of this week. If there was any remaining hope, I think it ended yesterday. People who matter are moving on now, moving away from them, while from what information we have about their thinking, they are at least a week behind where they'd have to be to salvage any trust.

I really do tend to think that D&D is effectively a dead brand now. Not that it couldn't come back in future, but this is comparable to the Perrier mineral water disaster, and the Dasani sparkling water disaster here in the UK. Those brands are gone here, and they're not coming back.

Edit: I stand corrected, googling indicates you can actually buy Perrier here. I've never seen it on sale, or even heard of it being on sale, since the time many years ago when they had a contamination issue. Maybe D&D will end up like that - still existing, but effectively ignored.

I think this is a pretty gross exaggeration of the situation. maybe WoTC killed the golden goose for now but they will continue to have a huge market share and be the most recognizable brand.

 

[pemerton]

As in WoTC says you can't do it & will threaten you. I think we agree their legal basis for this claim is very weak.

WotC's apparent goal is to drive 3PPs out of the D&D and D&D-adjacent market place. I think that (what seems to be a) widespread acceptance that they do enjoy a unilateral power to bring current licensing arrangements to an end, and (what seems to be a) widespread failure to focus on what I have bolded, is serving that goal.

(Whether their goal is consistent with their long term commercial interests is a further question that this post does not speculate on.)

 

[CapnZapp]

I think that's correct, as of about 3 days ago. WoTC's chance to salvage the situation was slipping away around the start of this week. If there was any remaining hope, I think it ended yesterday. People who matter are moving on now, moving away from them, while from what information we have about their thinking, they are at least a week behind where they'd have to be to salvage any trust.

I really do tend to think that D&D is effectively a dead brand now. Not that it couldn't come back in future, but this is comparable to the Perrier mineral water disaster, and the Dasani sparkling water disaster here in the UK. Those brands are gone here, and they're not coming back.

Edit: I stand corrected, googling indicates you can actually buy Perrier here. I've never seen it on sale, or even heard of it being on sale, since the time many years ago when they had a contamination issue. Maybe D&D will end up like that - still existing, but effectively ignored.

D&D isn't dead. The wild and wonderful OGL flora and fauna around D&D is what's dead.

 

[CapnZapp]

I havent been following this too closely other than browsing some threads here on EN World. I just have a few questions, and simple yes or no answers or a few short sentences based in fact is all I'm after, not speculation.

1) Has WotC acknowledged the leaked revised OGL as theirs? As far as I know at this point it's just a draft, correct?
2) Has WotC made any official statements on the matter or given a time frame of when they'll address the situation?

no and no

 

[CapnZapp]

I just wanted to confirm that as of yesterday, my friend is pressing on with her team removing all copyrightable SRD material from her Kickstarter project and planning to release it non-OGL. I think the combination of silence from WoTC, yesterday's leak, and the community mood makes this the clear best approach.

This was the clear best approach already last week, but those details doesn't matter.

 

[CapnZapp]

According to this leak/rumour Thread by @andreas_mwg on Thread Reader App WoTC are now planning to say on January 16th that existing published OGL 1.0 material is ok (can stay up), but that anything new has to use the new evil OGL 2.0 - and that OGL 2.0 will remain a trap, so this looks like confirmation that new products will need to be de-OGL'd.

Yeah, that falls hilariously short of the mark.

 

[CapnZapp]

As in WoTC says you can't do it & will threaten you. I think we agree their legal basis for this claim is very weak.

I think we also agree the weight of their legal basis doesn't matter.

It is the lack of threat that made people play in WotC's playground.

Now the kids have scattered, and no amount of candy will bring them back.