From Newsgroup: rec.games.frp.dnd

https://bsky.app/profile/darjr.bsky.social/post/3lkp653jruk2b

So it seems WoTC launched their Sigil 3D VTT, and already has fired most
of the team developing it.
That seems odd.
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From Newsgroup: rec.games.frp.dnd

On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 09:56:04 +0100, Kyonshi <gmkeros@gmail.com> wrote:

https://bsky.app/profile/darjr.bsky.social/post/3lkp653jruk2b

So it seems WoTC launched their Sigil 3D VTT, and already has fired most
of the team developing it.
That seems odd.

Well, what need for keeping them on the payroll if the work is done?
Especially when AI can do the job just as good? All you really need to
do is keep around the C-levels responsible for hiring the next team,
right?

[do I really need a /s ? Although given the industry, I
do not doubt there really are people who think like that)

If I had to make a guess as to the why, it's probably because Hasbro
had already mentioned its intent to back away from software
development, but Sigil was already so long into development that they
just let it get to release first.

Sigil was also obviously intended to spur more interest in D&D Beyond subscriptions (from what I recall, just to invite players to your
lobby you needed a Master Tier subscription) and if that didn't
happen, Hasbro may have decided the continued expense not worth it.

But it all does seem rather sudden and doesn't inspire trust in the
product; why invest in Sigil and a D&D Beyond subscription if the
product might be dead in a few months? From a player's perspective, it
would be better to invest in one of its competitors.

If Hasbro is still interested in Sigil, they really need to get their spindoctors working, double-quick, because news like the above
combined with their continued silence does not inspire confidence.



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From Newsgroup: rec.games.frp.dnd

On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 14:36:35 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 09:56:04 +0100, Kyonshi <gmkeros@gmail.com> wrote:

https://bsky.app/profile/darjr.bsky.social/post/3lkp653jruk2b

So it seems WoTC launched their Sigil 3D VTT, and already has fired most >>of the team developing it.
That seems odd.

Well, what need for keeping them on the payroll if the work is done? >Especially when AI can do the job just as good? All you really need to
do is keep around the C-levels responsible for hiring the next team,
right?

[do I really need a /s ? Although given the industry, I
do not doubt there really are people who think like that)

If I had to make a guess as to the why, it's probably because Hasbro
had already mentioned its intent to back away from software
development, but Sigil was already so long into development that they
just let it get to release first.

Sigil was also obviously intended to spur more interest in D&D Beyond >subscriptions (from what I recall, just to invite players to your
lobby you needed a Master Tier subscription) and if that didn't
happen, Hasbro may have decided the continued expense not worth it.

Aaaand... in fact, that's what it was. According to a recent article,*
"Our aspirations for Sigil as a larger, standalone game with a
distinct monetization path will not be realized." Furthermore, there
was, amongst Hasbro execs, a "distinct lack of interest" in the
project from the start.

Translated: 'We already paid a lot for this before we got bored, so
we'll finish it quick, shove it out the door, and if it makes a huge
splash maybe in promoting our other products maybe we'll keep it,
otherwise it'll be DOA'.

Which, pretty much, is how Hasbro has been treating the D&D brand from
the start. They don't understand what it is, don't understand why it's
popular, and don't understand what it's customers want. They keep
treating it like it's just another plastic toy to shill onto kids, but
it's definitively Not That.

I'm not really into virtual tabletop gaming, but I was considering
maybe -just maybe- I should invest in Sigil because, what with it
being the 'official' VTT of D&D, it might be useful to have around
(from what I read, the product itself wasn't too bad). But Hasbro's
usual hamfisted handling has protected from another useless purchase.



* linkie-link https://www.pcgamer.com/games/hasbro-pushed-sigil-out-of-the-nest-d-and-ds-latest-layoffs-happened-because-the-distinct-monetization-path-for-its-virtual-tabletop-sigil-never-materialized/

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From Newsgroup: rec.games.frp.dnd

On 3/20/2025 4:16 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

I'm not really into virtual tabletop gaming, but I was considering
maybe -just maybe- I should invest in Sigil because, what with it
being the 'official' VTT of D&D, it might be useful to have around
(from what I read, the product itself wasn't too bad). But Hasbro's
usual hamfisted handling has protected from another useless purchase.

I do have to say I haven't bought any official DnD products over the
last few years, with the exception of miniatures and official DnD nerds
(the candy)
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