The Washington Post is reporting on the situation now

[xiphumor]

My feeling on it is that:

1. Cao is abusive and getting rid of him will make the environment inside WotC less hostile.
2. While the company may be committed to a digital strategy, Cao's specific vision isn't necessarily something that anybody but Cao cares about. So deauthorization and other harmful ideas might actually come off the table with him gone.
3. It would serve as a head on a stick for the next guy who starts getting similar ideas.

I’m willing to see this! I just don’t want to pin our hopes to it or make it non-negotiable.

 

[Enrahim2]

(Back to the article) I find it quite nice! Didn't see anything obviously wrong the way I am used to experiencing with mainstream media coverage of issues I am deeply familiar with. I might have liked to see some mention about how what wizards is doing might be illegitimate, or the links between open source and the original OGL offering (Making it apparent that the CC offering is not a "new" offer, but rather still a restriction of what we had before wizards started misbehaving). But then I see how this could actually muddle the message they are conveying. Thank you for sharing!

 

[SAVeira]

Depending on how things go I would not be surprised if we do see Chris Cao terminated with a public reason given due his abuse. A quick PR win and public reason to really reverse course. Sure it will be a topic on the table Monday at Hasbro.

 

[wingsandsword]

2. They’ve already sunk hundreds of millions of dollars into the digital platform, which is their main motive for deauthorizing 1.0a, and will try to make good on their investment, with or without Cao.

It would be easier to believe that was the

They emphasize TWO changes to the OGL they're demanding.

1. Making the OGL void for electronic products, by restricting it to print gaming products only.

2. The "hate speech" clause giving them an open-ended blanket authority to revoke the use of the OGL for anyone, or any product.

If it was what you said, they'd only be digging in on #1. That #2 part there, the poison pill that makes their new OGL worthless, seems to point to a deeper agenda.

 

[Steel_Wind]

Looks like this is their 2nd article on it! They did this one too:

Washington Post: The WOTC dragon is “to be slain.”

In today’s Washington Post (!): https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2023/01/19/dungeons-and-dragons-open-game-license-wizards-of-the-coast-explained/ “And as any group of D&D adventurers might tell you, in stories like this, the point of a dragon atop a treasure trove is for it to be...

www.enworld.org

Edit -- oh, it's the same article. They've changed the title of it!

The point of the "dragon atop a treasure trove is for it to be slain" is a great line though!

Investors read WashPo. This isn't a good thing. James Dallas Egbert III media stories made AD&D a sensation and it's still "top of mind" 43 years later when it comes to RPGs.

This, otoh, is not a good thing. There is nothing to win, it's only degrees of losing here.

 

[Staffan]

The point of the "dragon atop a treasure trove is for it to be slain" is a great line though!

"As a knight," the king said, "it is your duty to kill dragons."
"Very well, my liege," the knight said. "Um. May I ask why?"
"Because they hoard wealth without sharing, and people live in fear of their capricious moods."
"Very well, my liege," the knight said and drew his sword.
—

 

[Clint_L]

So if D&D Shorts most recent video is to be believed...

Keep in mind that he is relying heavily on discredited sources who already admitted misrepresenting facts, which suggests an agenda. I wouldn't rush to judge Cao or anyone else on those grounds. He might be the part of the problem, or this might be an interpersonal issue - we just don't know.

 

[Haplo781]

Keep in mind that he is relying heavily on discredited sources who already admitted misrepresenting facts, which suggests an agenda. I wouldn't rush to judge Cao or anyone else on those grounds. He might be the part of the problem, or this might be an interpersonal issue - we just don't know.

False.

 

[Clint_L]

False.

Care to elaborate? Did DnDShorts cite those same sources to spread the since discredited claim that WotC does not even read survey comments and that survey comments are just a PR ploy, or did he not?

You don't have to answer: he did. Then in this latest video he dropped that particular charge but continued to rely on those sources for other claims, which cannot be verified as they are basically gossip. It's shoddy reporting and smearing Cao or anyone else based on them is unfair. I don't know Cao, I don't know the situation inside WotC, and for all I know he is the root of the problem. But this is a real human being and attacking him based on hearsay from a very dubious source is deeply unfair.

 

[Haplo781]

Care to elaborate? Did DnDShorts cite those same sources to spread the since discredited claim that WotC does not even read survey comments and that survey comments are just a PR ploy, or did he not?

You don't have to answer: he did. Then in this latest video he dropped that particular charge but continued to rely on those sources for other claims, which cannot be verified as they are basically gossip. It's shoddy reporting and smearing Cao or anyone else based on them is unfair. I don't know Cao, I don't know the situation inside WotC, and for all I know he is the root of the problem. But this is a real human being and attacking him based on hearsay from a very dubious source is deeply unfair.

False.