John Hight steps down as Wizards of the Coast president - GamesIndustry.biz

What the report says

GamesIndustry.biz reports that John Hight will leave his role as president of Wizards of the Coast on September 1, with the change disclosed in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing dated July 27. According to the filing and a company statement provided to the outlet, Hight will remain employed by Wizards in an advisory role after stepping down.

Hight joined Wizards of the Coast in August 2024 after nearly 13 years at Blizzard, where he had served as general manager of the Warcraft franchise. During his two years leading Wizards, he was responsible for major tabletop brands including Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, as well as video game projects in development such as the sci-fi RPG Exodus.

The leadership change comes shortly after parent company Hasbro recorded a $56 million impairment charge tied to its video game portfolio and said it had cancelled several games planned for 2028 or later. In its statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Wizards said the business remains strong, citing the performance of Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, and said its 2027 game slate, including Exodus and Warlock, is still on schedule. The company said it will conduct both internal and external searches for Hight’s replacement.

GamesIndustry.biz also noted Hight’s previous comments about wanting to revisit the idea of a Dungeons & Dragons MMO. The outlet added context on recent Wizards game efforts, including a former EA Black Panther development team joining the company and the ended publishing agreement with Giant Skull for a Dungeons & Dragons action-adventure project.