Why No More d20?

[Quantum]

I'm sorry for asking a redunandt question, but why did Wotc stop publishing d20 materials and ended the d20 SRD?

I ask because I have been searching but my search skills suck and I haven't been able to find anything.

Thanks.

 

[Rechan]

The same reason why Microsoft stopped selling XP after they put out Vista, and no more Playstaton 1 games are made after the Playstation 2 came out. And WotC stopped producing 2e books when 3e came out.

A company puts out a new product,
1) all of their resources (from printing to writing) goes into that product,
2) the new product and old product shouldn't compete for sales, and
3) having an older product next to a newer product can be confusing to newcomers who are not sure what book/what edition to go with.

Note that the SRD is still up.

 

[Henry]

I'm sorry for asking a redunandt question, but why did Wotc stop publishing d20 materials and ended the d20 SRD?

I ask because I have been searching but my search skills suck and I haven't been able to find anything.

Thanks.

Main reason, in my opinion - they considered it bad for their business and the hobby to keep supporting. I can't say I agree, but based on conversations I observerved online at the time, I think that when WotC management of 2007/2008 realized they couldn't meaningfully change the Open Gaming License, they stopped using it in favor of a new license, the GSL. That way, they could better control how content they released was used by third parties.

 

[Mr. Teapot]

I'm sorry for asking a redunandt question, but why did Wotc stop publishing d20 materials and ended the d20 SRD?

They didn't on either count. They did stop 3rd edition D&D, but 4e is still labelled as a d20 system on the Player's Handbook (and I think on later supplements as well).

Similarly, they didn't stop the d20 SRD because they don't have the authority to do so: once the 3.0 or 3.5 SRD was published, anyone could publish stuff for it and many companies still are doing so. WotC did decide to publish 4e under a more restrictive license, so that they would have more control over the material published and such. But that's not the same as stopping the D20 SRD: you can still publish using that SRD and the attached Open Gaming License. Publishing something 4e compatible means using the newer, more restrictive license, though.

 

[mneme]

Similarly, they didn't stop the d20 SRD because they don't have the authority to do so:

This pretty misleading, given the facts and the relationship between the D20 license and the OGL D20 system. It isn't helped by the "D20 OGL" not really having a name, as the "D20" part is covered under trademark.

Wizards didn't end the OGL version of their rules because, as you said, they didn't have the authority to do so.

However, the D20 trademark was never tied into the OGL and had its own, revocable license. And -that- they ended as soon as they legally could. OGL products that used Wizards content exist and will continue to exist indefinitely (likely, in perpetuity). However, D20 products had to be pulped, sold, or at least have the "D20" logo struck when the licence on the trademark was allowed to expire.