The article discusses the recent decisions made by Wizards of the Coast, the company behind Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, which have been met with criticism and outrage from the gaming community. Firstly, the company released a 30th Anniversary set for Magic: The Gathering, which was overpriced and contained randomized cards that were not even legal to use in gameplay.
More significantly, Wizards of the Coast is planning to make major changes to the Open Game License (OGL) that would greatly impact the Dungeons & Dragons community. The OGL allows third-party creators to produce and sell their own D&D content, such as custom campaigns and adventures, without needing to pay royalties to Wizards of the Coast. However, under the new changes, creators would be required to report their earnings and pay royalties on any content that earns above $750,000 per year.
The changes also include a provision that allows Wizards of the Coast to modify or terminate the agreement at any time, with only 30 days' notice, which would give them significant control over the content created by third-party producers. The article argues that these changes would stifle creativity and potentially kill the Dungeons & Dragons community, as many creators would be deterred from producing content under these restrictive conditions.
The article suggests that Wizards of the Coast's decision is driven by greed and a desire to increase revenue, but may ultimately backfire and harm the company's reputation and bottom line.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, is responsible for the popular games Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons.
2. The company recently released a 30th Anniversary set for Magic: The Gathering, which was priced at $1,000 per four-pack.
3. The set contained randomized cards, and players did not know what they would get, making it a form of gambling.
4. None of the cards in the set were legal for tournament play, and they were essentially "proxies" rather than real cards.
5. The company refused to allow local card shops to carry the 30th Anniversary packs, instead requiring customers to purchase them directly from Wizards of the Coast.
6. Hasbro, the parent company of Wizards of the Coast, has seen a significant decline in revenue, with a 40% drop in the past year.
7. Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro are seeking to monetize the Dungeons & Dragons brand more aggressively, including by targeting the community of creators who produce custom content for the game.
8. The company is considering introducing a new licensing agreement that would require creators to pay royalties on their custom content, including homebrew campaigns and adventures.
9. The proposed agreement would also give Wizards of the Coast the power to modify or terminate the agreement at any time, with only 30 days' notice.
10. The changes have sparked widespread outrage among the Dungeons & Dragons community, with many creators and fans expressing concerns about the impact on the game and its ecosystem.
11. The leak about the changes came from a reputable source, a journalist named Linda Codega, who shared the information on social media.
12. The director of games at Kickstarter, John Ritter, retweeted the thread with the leak and confirmed that Kickstarter was contacted by Wizards of the Coast about the changes.
13. The proposed changes would require creators to report their earnings and pay royalties on any custom content that generates more than $750,000 in revenue.
14. If the changes go through, it could potentially kill the Dungeons & Dragons community, as many creators and fans rely on the game's open game license to produce and share custom content.