Dungeons & Dragons Reverses Course on NFT Ban Amid Backlash
After abandoning proposed license changes, the Dungeons & Dragons campaign against Web3 has apparently reached its end.
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) publisher Wizards of the Coast capitulated to fans and content creators Friday, announcing that it won’t move forward with proposed changes to a game license that would have clamped down on derivative NFT projects in the process.
Earlier this month, the Hasbro-owned company provoked widespread ire from the tabletop gaming community after it moved to modify a legal framework that has allowed people to produce content compatible with D&D for over 20 years. That included things like D&D-inspired live play shows and podcasts, as well as graphic novels and other media.
Wizards of the Coast already walked back certain changes to its Open Game License (OGL) earlier this month, such as mandated royalties from content creators. However, an updated proposal made clear that D&D content like game mechanics would be prohibited from use in conjunction with third-party NFTs.
The firm had also singled out Web3 developers as a major factor in wanting to alter its longstanding deal with fans and creators. “We wanted to address those attempting to use D&D in Web3, blockchain games, and NFTs,” Wizards of the Coast had written in a blog post weeks ago.
Now, the company is abandoning plans to update its Open Game License entirely, and it will place D&D content included via its System Reference Document under a Creative Commons license that is “open and irrevocable.”