From Newsgroup: rec.games.frp.dnd
Source:
https://dungeonsanddragonsfan.com/wizards-of-the-coast-new-layoffs/
Wizards of the Coast and D&D Team Hit By New Round of Layoffs
October 25, 2024
Hasbro has just announced a new round of company-wide layoffs that has
reached Wizards of the Coast and the Dungeons & Dragons team. The move
is part of what Hasbro has described as an rCLoperational streamliningrCY
and is expected to impact roughly 100 employees across the company.
The news comes less than a year after HasbrorCOs last round of layoffs in December 2023, which saw 20% of the companyrCOs global workforce let go
and a major restructuring of the Wizards of the Coast team. It also
comes during a pivotal year for D&D, as the game celebrates its 50th anniversary and the launch of a set of new DnD core books.
So just what does this mean for the future of Dungeons & Dragons? Below,
we break out al
Why did the layoffs happen?
According to Hasbro, these changes are designed to rCLincrease
speed-to-market by trimming at least three months from the process while empowering teams to make decisions quickly.rCY In reality, however, the
likely cause is that the company has struggled financially in recent
years, with slowing toy sales dragging down revenue, despite the
profitability of digital products and Wizards of the CoastrCOs flagship
games of Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons.
In fact, during their most recent Q3 earnings report, which was released
on October 24th, 2024, Hasbro announced that overall company revenue had declined 15%. The report also noted that Wizards of the Coast and the
Digital Gaming segment declined 5%, with revenue dropping off in
particular from the BaldurrCOs Gate 3 licensing deal as sales of the
popular game slowed.
Who was laid off from the Dungeons & Dragons Team?
Early reports indicate that at least four people have been laid off from Wizards of the Coast. This includes D&D Creator Relations Manager Dixon
Dubow, who was the primary point of contact for numerous D&D content
creators and was instrumental in helping to address community concerns
in the wake of the OGL scandal back in 2023.
In addition to the layoffs, there have also been a number of major role changes among the leadership team as Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast. In particular Chief Marketing Officer Jason Bunge will now oversee Wizards
of the CoastrCOs digital marketing efforts.l the details.
Final Thoughts
As far as layoffs go, the latest round from Hasbro wasnrCOt nearly as devastating as last year. ThatrCOs not likely much comfort, however, to individuals let go from the Wizards of the Coast and Dungeons & Dragons
teams. ItrCOs also not likely to go over well with fans who are still
bitter over the OGL scandal and other recent missteps from Hasbro.
WerCOll be keeping a close eye on this story in the days ahead and will
update this page with new information as itrCOs made available.
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