Archives of Nethys is one of the most beloved and widely used resources in the Pathfinder and Starfinder communities. It has helped players learn our games, explore new ideas, build characters, and share their excitement with friends around the world. We are deeply grateful for everything Archives of Nethys has done.
The dedication, care, and passion that AoN has brought to its work has made it a pillar of the Pathfinder and Starfinder ecosystems. Their efforts have supported countless tables, inspired new players, and strengthened the connection people feel to our worlds.
We want to be transparent about why our commercial licensing contract with Archives of Nethys has come to an end. We also want to emphasize that Archives of Nethys will continue offering the same rules access as it does today under the Community Use Policy.
Eight years ago, we entered into a licensing relationship with AoN. The idea was simple: Archives of Nethys would receive early access to Paizo products and exclusive access to artwork that wasn’t available under the Community Use Policy, and in return, Paizo would receive royalties generated through that expanded use to cover the costs of this special relationship. It’s true that those royalties never materialized, but that wasn’t the sole reason we decided to end the license.
Licenses take resources to manage—lawyers to review and follow up on contracts, finance employees to review and enter royalty statements, and licensing staff to provide assets and other support. Those resources must be balanced against other business demands.
The use of Paizo artwork on the web also created ongoing confusion about what assets are allowed under the Community Use Policy. Archives placed a legal notice explaining that they had a license to use artwork and other elements, but other sites routinely copied those assets and used them for themselves. That created additional work for our legal and licensing teams to draft DMCA and cease‑and‑desist notices.
Our artwork, maps, worlds, and stories are core parts of Paizo’s identity and livelihood. We give away the rules for free under the ORC license (and will continue to do so), and we want to ensure that our policies remain clear, consistent, and fair for everyone who creates community content.
Ending this exception allows us to simplify our policies and protect the clarity of our IP, while giving Archives of Nethys the freedom to continue operating under the Community Use Policy. There are a number of very successful projects that continue to thrive supporting Pathfinder and Starfinder using the ORC license and the Community Use Policy, and we’re confident that Archives of Nethys can continue under that umbrella for many years to come.
When we first broke the news to Archives of Nethys that we were going to end the license, we offered a marketing agreement to make the change less impactful, but those conversations were not concluded before they chose to publish their notice. We remain open to discussions with Archives about ways to support the site in a manner that is less resource‑intensive and more protective of Paizo IP going forward.
—Jim