This is oversimplified but hopefully close enough.
A couple of versions ago, Wizards of the Coast released a subset of the D&D rules for free with a pretty open license. That free subset was called the SRD and the license was the OGL 1.0a. It allowed third-parties to publish D&D-compatible adventures and such without royalties. And, crucially, the OGL had a clause that seemed to make it irrevocable in the future.
Essentially, "if you build on our system, we won't come after you for money or with lawyers, forever, we promise."
The result was an explosion in third-party content and overall an explosion in the popularity of D&D as a whole.
Recently, WotC released a draft of a new license that a lot of people interpreted as going back on this promise. The community was up in arms, then WotC released several waffling non-apologies.
This, at least, sounds like they realized they can't put the genie back in the bottle and have given up trying.
It wasn't even a released draft. It was a leak of what was essentially a shakedown that WoTC tried to bully independents into signing earlier in January.
That they even now keep referring to it as a draft is pretty indicative that they're not acting in good faith
Wow, I missed that they were still going with the "Draft" lie on first read. Welp, ship had already sailed, but I'm just going to guess the horror-show will be back in 6 to 12 months.
A couple of versions ago, Wizards of the Coast released a subset of the D&D rules for free with a pretty open license. That free subset was called the SRD and the license was the OGL 1.0a. It allowed third-parties to publish D&D-compatible adventures and such without royalties. And, crucially, the OGL had a clause that seemed to make it irrevocable in the future.
Essentially, "if you build on our system, we won't come after you for money or with lawyers, forever, we promise."
The result was an explosion in third-party content and overall an explosion in the popularity of D&D as a whole.
Recently, WotC released a draft of a new license that a lot of people interpreted as going back on this promise. The community was up in arms, then WotC released several waffling non-apologies.
This, at least, sounds like they realized they can't put the genie back in the bottle and have given up trying.