Wizards of the Coast (WotC), owner of Dungeons & Dragons, has released a statement (opens in new tab) in response to the still ongoing furor over the handling of the Open Gaming License (OGL) D&D post by Executive Producer Kyle Brink apologizes for WotC's handling of the controversy to date and promises a more "open and transparent" approach to the new OGL that seeks to incorporate community feedback.

The uproar was originally caused by the new draft OGL (opens in new tab), which would make the license significantly more open, require royalties from successful creators to WotC, and give the company greater control over third-party works produced under the license than It appeared to give the company greater control. It also would have stopped creators from using the current, more open license, in direct violation of WotC's previous promise that licensees could use the old OGL version if the new license was not to their liking. Now, however, WotC appears to be going back on that promise.

"We are sorry. We were wrong," reads Brink's post, continuing that WotC's draft OGL failed to "protect and foster [an inclusive playing environment]" and that the company's silence on the issue "hurt fans and creators."

"We will do this better from now on," Brink says, describing a new community-oriented process based on the company's current approach to developing D&D itself. According to Brink, the community will be presented with a new draft version of the OGL "on or before Friday, January 20. Players will then be able to give their input on the revised license by completing a survey that will include both pre-written questions and a form soliciting general input. The survey will close "at least two weeks later," at which point WotC will "compile, analyze, react and publish" the survey results.

Regardless of what the new license will look like, Brink cites several creative activities that will not be definitively affected by the upcoming changes to the OGL. They are:

While everything looks rosy, it remains to be seen whether WotC will keep its word. For a small number of fans and some publishers, the damage is already done and no amount of persuasion or apologies will bring them back. As for the rest of us, we can go to ......." Let's see how this survey turns out.