Wizards of the Coast has released the 5.1 System Reference Document (basically the core rules of D&D 5e) in four new languages alongside English including Spanish, Italian, German, and French.
https://media.wizards.com/2023/downloads/dnd/SRD_CC_v5.1_FR.pdf
https://media.wizards.com/2023/downloads/dnd/SRD_CC_v5.1_IT.pdf
https://media.wizards.com/2023/downloads/dnd/SRD_CC_v5.1_DE.pdf
https://media.wizards.com/2023/downloads/dnd/SRD_CC_v5.1_ES.pdf
All of these have been released under a Creative Commons Attribution License which means creators are free to copy, modify, and use these works – including commercially – by referencing the document and it’s license in their work.
In my opinion, this is an amazing effort and one that helps Wizards of the Coast improve its reputation as a good steward of D&D and good partner of the hobby.
After facing down a potential mass exodus of players and revitalizing the pathfinder community, yeah, no wonder they’re attempting to improve their reputation.
I’m glad they’re sticking with the damage control, but that’s what this is: damage control
Regardless of motivation, spending the money to translate the 5.1 SRD into four languages and then putting it out into the CC opens up a lot of expansion of 5e into other countries and people who never would otherwise play. And it does so regardless of what WOTC does in the future. It’s prudent that we don’t trust WOrC. With this out there, we don’t have to trust them.
Yeah, I don’t know how anyone who paid attention during the OGL fiasco could say they are being a good partner to the hobby. This is all just backpedaling from that disastrous move. I welcome it, but let’s not rewrite history.
As for being good stewards of D&D, I think the next edition is shaping up to be an overly cautious iteration on what’s already there, and they’re unwilling to make changes of any major significance in order to fundamentally improve the game.
After the OGL debacle and seeing the extreme risk aversion of this new version and the questionable direction of the changes they do want to make, I decided to move on from 5E as my main system. I’m currently running a 5E campaign to level 20 which should wrap by the end of the year, after 4 years. I’ve run another multiyear 5E campaign, played in others, bought the books…
I’ll check back in for the edition after this one.