Hasbro has found a new President for Wizards of the Coast, two months after John Hight stepped down and Chris Cocks assumed temporary control of the business. The new President is Dan Ayoub, who joined Wizards to lead its digital studios in 2022, served as senior VP of digital games, and just over a year ago became head of Dungeons and Dragons.
Just last month, Wargamer editor Mollie Russell spoke to Ayoub about his plans for the future of D&D, including rebuilding the audience’s trust in the brand after the OGL debacle of early 2023, which he described as “a rug pull”.
I thoroughly recommend you check out that interview, if you want to hear what WotC’s new President plans for one of the company’s two main tabletop games. I think it offers a lot more insight and information than the statement in Hasbro’s new press release:
“Magic and D&D have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and the teams behind them are among the best in the world,” Ayoub said. “We’ll put fans first, respect the artists and creators who make these worlds come alive, and set an ambitious course for growth across tabletop and digital. I can’t wait to get started.”
In his new role, Ayoub will be responsible for Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Hasbro digital games such as Warlock and Exodus.
One might presume, given Ayoub’s past roles and background (once upon a time, he was studio head of Halo dev 343 Industries) that this means Wizards is looking to keep making more digital products and video games. Which would make sense – that seems to have been a prevailing message in all Hasbro’s investor calls over the last couple of years.
Source: Wargamer
