As you may have heard, Wizards of the Coast is poised to release a new version of the Open Game License (v1.1). Parts of the license have been leaked online and it appears that Wizards' intent is to revoke the current version of the OGL, forcing creators to adopt the new version. Whether this is actually legal for them to do, under the terms of the license, is seemingly open to interpretation.
A huge number of games, including our own Old-School Essentials, are founded on the Open Game License. If that license were revoked, such games would be in jeopardy. The leaked version of the new OGL includes some extremely unappealing terms, most notably granting Wizards a "nonexclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, sub-licensable, royalty-free license" to use content released under the OGL "for any purpose".
Needless to say, we are making various contingency plans in anticipation of the official release of the new OGL. Once the official release happens and we've had time to fully digest its implications, we will announce any possible alterations to our publication schedule.
39 comments
I just made sure to put in an order for some hardcopy books I’ve been meaning to pick up for a while just in case. They’ll have to show up at my house and pulp them themselves. Hopefully, this nonsense blows over soon.
I hear tell of a number of OSR publishers putting together a class action suit. I hope this is true and I hope you join their ranks, Gavin! I hope to see the evil wizards burn 🔥 And I hope to sing songs of your victory
Screw those guys. You’ve got my support
I have heard tell of a class action suit in the works. I hope this is true and I hope you join the ranks of the other publishers taking WotC to court.
We are the Old School Renaissance! We are the visionaries, the rebels, the magicians, and the warriors! We will not go down without a fight!
Our group is relatively new to OSE, having discovered it a few weeks ago during our search for something better than the current version of 5E. We’re excited to playtest it in the coming months, and want to see you guys succeed against this challenge Hasbro has presented to the entire industry.