Game System License
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2022) |
The Game System License is a license that allows third-party publishers to create products compatible with and using the intellectual property from the 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).[1][2] It was released to the public by Wizards of the Coast (WotC) on June 17, 2008.
History
A
The Game System License (GSL), however, grants use of the 4th Edition System Reference Document, which lists trademarks, words, and short phrases that could be used to refer to materials in the Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition rules, but contains no rules itself. People wishing to use this license are also granted a logo that must be placed onto their products to state that they are compatible with Dungeon & Dragons 4th Edition.[1] The license also can be updated by Wizards of the Coast and updates affect all licensees; in case of litigation the licensees must pay the legal costs of Wizards of the Coast.
Prior to Gen Con 2008, it was announced that the GSL was undergoing a revision in response to concerns raised by third-party publishers and the community.[3] Shortly after the end of the convention a number of Wizards of the Coast's jobs were eliminated, including the Licensing Manager position that was held by Linae Foster.[4]
With the release of the 5th edition of D&D in 2014, and the release under the OGL of an SRD for that edition, the GSL fell into disuse, though it remains the only license for 4th edition.
Reception
In August 2008,
Greg Tito, for
Academics Benoît Demil and Xavier Lecocq, in the economic journal Revue d'économie industrielle in 2014, stated that "it is noticeable that the new GSL is incompatible with the previous OGL as many publishers suggest this restriction represents a direct attack on the OGL which WOTC is legally unable to revoke. This restriction has fostered some negative feelings within the RPG communities against the leader and resulted in many publishers who previously supported the d20 system to reject the 4th Edition of D&D entirely. As a consequence, a lot of publishers which were previously adopters of the d20 system decided to develop their own set of rules based on elements of the OGL and publishing their own material under the OGL".[11]
Bob Byrne, for Black Gate in 2015, commented that the GSL "drove out nearly all third party producers for the to-be short-lived 4th Edition. Two of them, Goodman Games and Mongoose Publishing, signed on for 4th Edition, though to not much benefit for themselves. [...] Necromancer effectively packed it in, while Paizo created Pathfinder to compete directly with Wizards' new version of Dungeons & Dragons".[12]
References
- ^ a b "Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Game System License" (PDF). Wizards of the Coast. 2008-06-17. Archived from the original on 2008-09-20.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Interview with Scott Rouse, Part 1". icv2.com. April 25, 2008. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
- ^ "WotC to Revise D&D 4th Edition GSL and SRD". August 13, 2008. Archived from the original on August 13, 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Press Releases". August 23, 2008. Archived from the original on August 23, 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b "WotC to Revise 4th Ed. GSL". ICv2. August 11, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "Necromancer Games-What is up with Necro and 4E? An Update from Orcus". 31 July 2008.
- ^ page 179, quoting Clark Peterson of Necromancer Games. Appelcline, Shannon. Designers & Dragons: A History of the Roleplaying Game Industry (4 vols.), (Silver Spring, MD: Evil Hat Productions, 2014).
- ^ a b c Hindmarch, Will (October 6, 2008). "Inside One Bad Egg: An Interview with Fred Hicks". Gameplaywright. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Tito, Greg (28 December 2011). "The State of D&D: Present". The Escapist. Archived from the original on January 29, 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
- ^ a b Knode, Mordicai (2012-02-14). "As Dungeons & Dragons Changes, Pathfinder Remains True". Tor.com. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ISSN 0154-3229.
- ^ "Of Necromancers & Frog Gods – Part One (The Public Life of Sherlock Holmes) – Black Gate". Black Gate. November 9, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2022.