It's not like the OGL isn't still earning WotC money, though.
It would make sense if Wizards suddenly said, "Okay, we're not going to charge anyone for the OGL anymore" to force 3rd party publishers to the GSL. But that's not the case. The case is that they own both licenses, so they gain when publishers create for both editions.
I have this funny feeling that the GSL wasn't created in the typical fashion of previous materials from WotC, but because the designers seem to involved in every freaking aspect of 4th Edition - from designing to marketing to licensing. It's almost as if they want everyone to switch so they can be the heroes, "saving D&D from an inferior and completely broken older version."
If you need quotes of Wyatt saying bad things about other systems - including the 3.5 edition of D&D - all you have to do is read interviews. Everytime someone asks, "Was it necessary?" he chimes in about how inferior RPG products are clogging the market, so it was time for change. Read the DMG. He wrote that monstrosity mostly himself (Mr. RPG Guru there thinks that combat is the core of all RPGs).
Recent comments came on the Beta Insider where he told a group he was DM'ing on the new Online Dungeon Tool that they essentially were crybabies and cast insults at them. It was a truly sad day when Andy C. had to step in and cool everyone down, including Wyatt. That was a horrifying experience that I never want to see repeated in my life.
I too feel bad because Wyatt did produce some decent source materials for d20, and although not all his work was great, he did do a lot of work to raise the bar in a slacking series.
|