The promo image in question, seen in its original context. (credit: WotC )

Magic: the Gathering (MtG) maker Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has apologized after admitting it made a "mistake" in publishing a promotional image that included artwork at least partially generated using artificial intelligence tools. The admission comes despite a WotC policy barring the use of AI in its art, and the controversy has already caused at least one MtG artist to publicly announce that he is "done" with the company.

The promo image in question was posted in a now-deleted (but still archived ) social media post last Thursday, showing five new "retro frame" versions of lands from the upcoming Ravnica Remastered set in a nondescript steampunk-style laboratory. While the image looks unobjectionable at first glance, careful viewers soon zoomed in on specific and incongruous background details in the lab that showed telltale errors common to some AI image generators. (The human authorship of the art on the cards themselves, it should be noted, has not yet come under question.)

"created by humans" Right... pic.twitter.com/gf9TUXWSPA

— TaylorGreen (@GreenSkyDragon) January 5, 2024

The suggestion that AI art tools were used in a promo image is particularly sensitive for Wizards of the Coast, which has relied on hundreds of human artists to generate tens of thousands of iconic images for its Magic cards and its Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) products over the years. Last August, when a longtime D&D artist was found to be using AI tools for commissioned pieces, WotC said that it was "updating our artist guidelines to make clear that artists must refrain from using AI art generation as part of their art creation process for developing D&D art."

Enlarge / Artist's conception of the coming discussion between Wizards of the Coast and the D&D community over proposed OGL updates. (credit: WotC )

When Wizards of the Coast (WotC) rolled out proposed changes to its decades-old Open Gaming License (OGL), most average players and smaller creators had to hear about it via a leaked copy of a version sent to big content makers . Now, WotC promises any coming changes will be done through a "more open and transparent" process that will start a "robust conversation" around any new proposals.

In a post on the D&D Beyond forums today, WotC Executive Producer Kyle Brink writes that "new proposed OGL documentation" will be shared publicly on or before Friday, January 20. At that point, community members will have at least two weeks to offer feedback via a survey that will include specific questions and open-response fields.

WotC compared the new process to the one it uses for playtests of Unearthed Arcana documents , which are often used to solicit feedback on draft mechanics and gameplay ideas that haven't been fully tested. Once the new OGL survey concludes, Brink says WotC will "compile, analyze, react to, and present back what we heard from you."

Enlarge / Artist's conception of the community reaction to WotC's proposed license changes. (credit: WotC )

Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has backed away from some of the most controversial portions contained in leaked drafts of an update to its decades-old Open Gaming License (OGL) following widespread fan outrage over the proposed changes .

For instance, WotC now says directly that any content already released under the previous version of the OGL will "remain unaffected" by the update. That contradicts language in a leaked draft of the license update suggesting that the earlier version of the OGL "is no longer an authorized license agreement."

The updated version of the OGL also will "not contain... any royalty structure," WotC writes, despite draft language calling for a 25 percent royalty on annual revenues above $750,000. The now-removed royalty language was "designed to apply to large corporations attempting to use OGL content" and wasn't intended "to impact the vast majority of the community," the company writes. "However, it’s clear from the reaction that we rolled a 1."