John Hight resigns as president of Wizards of the Coast
On September 1, John Hight will step down from his position as president of Wizards of the Coast, following an announcement made on July 27 via a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Despite his departure from the presidency, he will continue with the company as an advisor beyond this date.
Hight's journey with Wizards of the Coast began in August 2024. Previously, he dedicated nearly 13 years to Blizzard, where he served as general manager for the Warcraft franchise. During his tenure at Wizards, he led the Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering franchises, along with overseeing video game projects like the upcoming sci-fi RPG, Exodus.
Recently, Hasbro, the parent company of Wizards of the Coast, announced a $56 million write-down on its video game investments, also noting the cancellation of several titles slated for 2028 and beyond. The details were shared last week.
In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Wizards of the Coast mentioned: "John Hight will transition from his role as President effective September 1. We deeply appreciate his guidance and the impact he’s had on our teams and products. He will continue to advise Wizards while exploring new ventures he is enthusiastic about."
The company assured that the business remains robust, with flagship titles like Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons continuing to thrive. Their upcoming video game schedule for 2027, featuring titles such as Exodus and Warlock, remains on target. They are actively pursuing both internal and external candidates to replace Hight, with updates promised in due course.
In an interview last year with GamesIndustry.biz, Hight expressed his interest in developing a new Dungeons & Dragons MMO. He noted the need to modernize the traditional MMO model, referring to games like Ultima Online and Everquest.
At that same time, a team of developers from EA's canceled Black Panther project joined Wizards of the Coast under the leadership of Michael de Plater, previously involved with Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. The specifics of their new project remain undisclosed.
Hight also discussed Wizards of the Coast's collaboration with Giant Skull, a studio led by Star Wars Jedi: Survivor director Stig Asmussen. Though the partnership initially focused on creating an action-adventure game within the Dungeons & Dragons universe, it was announced in May that their publishing agreement had been terminated.
