WotC Rumor: OGL will not be supported starting with One D&D

[Oofta]

Never underestimate how stupid humans can get when they're motivated by greed. To a Hasbro exec revoking the OGL might seem like a magic button to bring all those 3PP dollars home to WotC.

Selling books is not where the big money is at. Movies, streamed series, toys, video games. The big bet is that the game just helps launch an entertainment multimedia bonanza.

I wouldn't be surprised if management was sold on the idea of 5E keeping the franchise alive long enough to launch other media but then it's success took everyone by surprise.

The TTRPG market is chump change compared to movie and video game money.

 

[Umbran]

Never underestimate how stupid humans can get when they're motivated by greed.

That applies as much to the people with a video that needs clicks to generate ad revenue as it does executives at WotC.

 

[Umbran]

I wouldn't be surprised if management was sold on the idea of 5E keeping the franchise alive long enough to launch other media but then it's success took everyone by surprise.

That sounds a bit contorted, logically.
So, they needed this game to keep the franchise alive, but it didn't actually have to be successful?
If the game isn't a success, it doesn't keep the franchise alive in a sense meaningful to mass market media.

 

[carmachu]

Hard pass on onednd. Without OGL its not worth it as, in my opinion and tastes, many of the last couple releases have been substandard and not worth picking up.

Its ok, got enough material and rule sets to find a game or start my own once my current one dies down

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Never underestimate how stupid humans can get when they're motivated by greed. To a Hasbro exec revoking the OGL might seem like a magic button to bring all those 3PP dollars home to WotC.

While no one I know can make as poor a decision as an exec with a limited understanding of the thing they are in charge of, I still think this rumour is BS. It is far more likely, as Umbran says, that the video is made to get the clicky, and not based on sound reality.

 

[darjr]

Well I grow less and less certain.

someone needs to ask WotC again.

 

[Incenjucar]

This treasure chest is definitely trapped. Just because I rolled a 19 with expertise and didn't find a trap it just shows that it's a really dangerous trap. Detect Magic didn't find anything? Oh wow it's even protected from detection this must have a cursed artifact in it in case the trap isn't enough to kill you.

Or maybe it's just a chest.

We really do not gain anything from panicking over unknowns. It will be what it will be. Pre-anxiety gains us nothing.

 

[glass]

I wouldn't be surprised if management was sold on the idea of 5E keeping the franchise alive long enough to launch other media but then it's success took everyone by surprise.

That sounds a bit contorted, logically.

Whereas to me it sounds like exactly what happened. Like beyond a reasonable doubt, to the point that I am surprised it is any way controversial.

We know that 4e had a goal of $50 million with a growth path to $100 million, which we know it missed. To my knowledge they never published similar details of their goals for 5e, but given the significantly reduced D&D team and the glacial pace of the initial release schedule, we can safely say they were lower. Ergo, 5e's spectacular and unprecedented success was a surprise to WotC just as much as it was to everyone else.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

While no one I know can make as poor a decision as an exec with a limited understanding of the thing they are in charge of, I still think this rumour is BS. It is far more likely, as Umbran says, that the video is made to get the clicky, and not based on sound reality.

I would go further, that unless One D&D as presented is radically different than the playtest material it is immaterial as to whether there is a specific OGL for the new material or not. The existing OGL will cover any needs.

 

[Morrus]

Ugh. Just saw another article about this pop up, this one on Gamerant. It's full of so much nonsense I don't even know where to start. The author doesn't even have a cursory familiarity with how the OGL works.