OOPS! WoTC OGL Misstep Shakes Up RPG Business

If you recall in late December 2022, Wizards of the Coast announced that it would be changing up their OGL (Open Game License) after describing the D&D Brand as under-monetized, which led to speculation that Wizards of The Coast would seek to increase revenues by changing OGL or eliminating it to cut off third-party creators. It also led to Fans and Game Creators facing the possibility that the new system was more of a trap. Meaning there was a chance of their rights to the original license being nullified. Amid the chaos, misinformation ran rampant, and the community felt that the company was alienating them with its new policy. But eventually, it led to Wizards canceling their plans for now, this also led to a big shake-up in the RPG Business.

In a new report from ICv2, after Wizards of the Coast damaged their iconic tabletop gaming brand, Dungeons & Dragons, and its value with their OGL announcement last year. In the process, it strengthened their competition, but it had a positive effect on spring (January through April) sales. This shake-up comes from the result of WoTC’s (Wizards of The Coast) effort to change up its Open Game License to derive more revenue from third-party content.

A distributor spoke to ICv2 about the OGL 2.0 debate, mentioning that they have seen a spike in non-D&D related RPG sales, with Paizo’s Pathfinder RPG making an aggressive effort to take advantage of the situation. Overall, the D&D sales may have strengthened with the success of the theatrical release of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, but it wasn’t enough to fix the damage caused by the company’s decision.

The biggest launches were Magpie’s Avatar Legends RPG and Steamforged Games’ Dark Souls RPG.

Source: ICv2

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