Rumored at GTS yesterday, this post by Margaret Weis at Dragonlance.com (copied below) confirms that Wizards of the Coast has not renewed the Dragonlance RPG license that was with Margaret Weis Productions. As Weis mentions in her statement, her company “will be releasing new Dragonlance RPG product through the end of this year and then will step back from our association with Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro.” Weis went on to mention a new world being developed with Tracy Hickman (also of Dragonlance fame) called Dragonships of the Vindras, which will be a new game complimented by novels through Tor Books. Like Paizo, which just lost Dragon and Dungeon, Margaret Weis Productions seems to be maximizing its bonuses for the best possible saving throw in its upcoming post-WotC license era. We’ll see how it turns out for them.
Dragonlance.com announcement text follows:
Dragonlance License
by Margaret Weis
The Dragonlance RPG License has been a labor of love for me and my staff throughout the term of our agreement with Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro. Our goal in creating Dragonlance game product has always been to give the long-time fan quality material that supports our vision for Dragonlance while attracting a new audience to this epic world. Our agreement has come to term and is not being renewed. We will be releasing new Dragonlance RPG product through the end of this year and then will step back from our association with Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro.
Margaret Weis Productions is thrilled to be associated with incredible properties such as Serenity, Battlestar Galactica, and Supernatural. Our latest endeavor is a collaboration with Tracy Hickman in the development of our new world — Dragonships of the Vindras — an epic series featuring Viking-like warriors, three opposing groups of Gods, ships powered by dragons, and the ultimate quest for salvation and survival through recovery of the Five Bones of the Vektan Dragons. This new fantasy world is rich with adventure and romance and is being published by Tor Books on a timeline to coincide with the launch of new game Dragonships product in the classic tradition of Dragonlance. Stay tuned for exciting announcements on this line in the coming months.
In response to the many inquiries we’ve received, please know we view this as a beginning, not an end. We see this as an opportunity to provide our fans and community with quality product with which we’re going to be proud to be associated for many years to come.
Margaret Weis
President
Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd.
Let’s hope those final four(?) products get out by the end of the year (and license’s expiration date), in larger print run.
Isn’t this weird?
Wizards seem to be recalling everything. Will they be preparing for an all in-house development of those properties along D&D 4e?
WotC already develops Greyhawk, Eberron and the Realms themselves. Ravenloft reverted from White Wolf. They’re not renewing Dragonlance. Dark Sun, Planescape, Spelljammer, Birthright, Mystara and whatever is left are in the hands of official fan sites, so they’re really not outside their control and can be shut down at a moment’s notice.
That’s a lot of settings. And if they don’t plan to profit from them, why recall them? Will they develop them into limited book releases a là Savage Worlds/Orpheus/Scion?
I guess the wait game has begun (for me, at least). 😛
Right now all of our Dragonlance releases are on-track, and we have a “window” of a couple months even if things slide a bit.
As for larger print runs, that shouldn’t be necessary. Right now we only have one product that’s out of print (Towers of High Sorcery). Everything else we’ve ever done is in-stock and available!
Jamie Chambers
Vice President
Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd.