WotC Says D&D Will Stay in Creative Commons Going Forward
As WotC moves forward from the OGL, it seems Creative Commons is the way of the future for One D&D. At least in part.
D&D Executive Producer Kyle Brink continued to appear in interviews with D&D content creators this past week. And though the WotC “apology tour” continues to toe much of the same line, it seems that WotC’s internal politics have shifted. As part of an interview with Ginny Di, Brink stated that the SRD would “remain compatible” as new rules were developed.
While these plans don’t specifically address how Wizards plans to build back the trust and goodwill they lost throughout January 2023, they do seem to indicate that D&D, and in particular the upcoming One D&D, will remain in Creative Commons.
D&D Remains in Creative Commons – SRD Compatibility Updates
In many of these interviews, Brink likened the coming One D&D to the shift from 3rd edition to 3.5. Which, given WotC’s previous statements that One D&D would be “backward compatible” with all the rules, seems to line up. Its history repeats itself with shades of both 2003 and 2008, it seems.
But one of the key differences is the SRD getting updated, and remaining in Creative Commons. As Brink put it in his interview with Ginny Di:
“The SRD will remain compatible with all the stuff we publish, including the new ruleset. There will be like an SRD 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, and whatever, each of which will remain in Creative Commons and under the OGL 1.0a.”
Brink’s comments are positive, but the community isn’t holding its breath. As commenters pointed out, WotC is attempting to shift the blame for the OGL fiasco in these interviews. Facebook/Meta keep being drawn out as the “megacorporations” that the OGL 1.1 was intended to protect the company from. And that WotC’s proposed $750k royalty was intended only to hit them.
But if that was the case, why have sweetheart deals for better royalties, held in secret, gated behind NDAs? And if WotC’s OGL 1.1 was only ever a draft, why would Kickstarter negotiate a better rate on royalties for their creators?
Kickstarter was contacted after WoTC decided to make OGL changes, so we felt the best move was to advocate for creators, which we did. Managed to get lower % plus more being discussed. No hidden benefits / no financial kickbacks for KS. This is their license, not ours, obviously. https://t.co/jHwX1JQKXM
— Jon Ritter (@jonritter) January 5, 2023
The community’s tolerance for a spin is at an all-time low after the weeks of silence and sudden reversals in WotC. But if One D&D stays in Creative Commons the community will have the rules to play and innovate with, which will let them keep making the stories they want to make.
One D&D continues to be a major inflection point for WotC and the RPG community
