Charles Ryan (and others) out at WotC?

[Edena_of_Neith]

I wish you all well.
I just wish the news was not so sad.

You are very fine people. You are very hard working people. And you are very creative people.
I have bought many thousands of dollars of your products, and just bought more today. If I can't honor your work in any other way, I can do it by buying your products.
You are great authors. I have a library of your books. I've read and reread them. If I cannot otherwise honor your imagination and effort (and god knows, it takes effort) to be game publishers and book writers, I CAN honor these things by buying and reading your works.
I do, and I did, and I think you write great stuff.

Your game has enriched my life, and your products have been (and still are) a source of joy.
I will go on being willing to spend my time (my most precious commodity) and my energy, and my money, on your products.
I appreciate your hard work and effort. My hat is off to you.

To all of you, I salute you.

Edena_of_Neith

 

[Truth Seeker]

Maybe as a temporary position: Rich Redman/Assistant Brand Manager. Who I met personally at Gen Con this year.

Just as D&D was vamping its marketing operations up and up.

I wonder who the new Brand Manager is gonna be?

 

[BrooklynKnight]

I've hung out with him at Gencon, I think it was the first So-Cal. He's a nice guy. I think he was hired BACK a few months ago. Left TGM to get the job too.

 

[Truth Seeker]

This might be a prelude to the layoffs...WotC Taps Two Agencies. With this, the need for a Marketing arm inhouse, is now moot.

Bad news for those 15 and I'll keep a good thought for them over the holidays. Since we know the brands are doing well enough, I wonder what caused the shake up? The 2006 releases seem to suggest business as usual, don't they? The layoffs cross a number of lines so I wonder if there was a budget cut directive from above? It's been said that most of Hasbro's brands/properties are seasonal assets (ramping up toward the end of the year through the holidays and then dropping back way down around now, after everything has shipped out to stores). I wonder how this effects decisions to layoff people right around this time of year?

 

[Truth Seeker]

Well, with the other *no-named* mention 15 employees, it is possible also, that he might be in there too.

p.s. My own goodbye in the Wotc Forums.

I've hung out with him at Gencon, I think it was the first So-Cal. He's a nice guy. I think he was hired BACK a few months ago. Left TGM to get the job too.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Hello, everybody.

Just thought I'd stop by and confirm what you've already heard. Today was my last day with Wizards of the Coast. Although I will still be active on these boards and in the D&D community, I am no longer a spokesman for D&D or WotC.

Very sorry to hear the bad news Charles, I hope that you can find employment quickly. Best of luck with child #2 too.

Regards,
Alex
aka

 

[MonsterMash]

Charles,

best of luck with the job search and best wishes for the new arrival.

 

[diaglo]

Hello, everybody.

Just thought I'd stop by and confirm what you've already heard. Today was my last day with Wizards of the Coast. Although I will still be active on these boards and in the D&D community, I am no longer a spokesman for D&D or WotC.

Please don't be too hasty to draw conclusions about the health of D&D from this turn of events. Wizards of the Coast is a large company with a dozen or so brands and major business operations on every continent. The company operates very much as a team, and in that environment, a single brand can be affected by the fortunes of other brands, even when it's doing well.

I'm sad to no longer be involved professionally with D&D. I'm very proud of my accomplishments during my tenure as Brand Manager (and as a member of the R&D team before that). This has been a very exciting two years for the D&D brand, and though I'm sorry not to continue participating in D&D's future, I'm honored to have had the opportunity that I did to lead D&D's fortunes during two very exciting years.

My wife and I are expecting our second child soon, and I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time with my family over the next few weeks. I don't yet know where I'll go from there, but I can tell you this: I will always be a diehard gamer and an outspoken fan of D&D!

Good luck with the job search. Sad to see you go. But also glad you will continue gaming. And congrats on the new bun in the oven.


Game On,

David "diaglo" Temporado

P.S. I'll always treasure the fan post cards you sent me.... well at least until i can get a good price for them on ebay.

 

[BWP]

Wizards of the Coast is a large company with a dozen or so brands and major business operations on every continent.

Just curious: where is the Antarctica office of WOTC located, exactly?

(I can well believe that people currently living there would play a lot of stuff like M:tG and D&D, though!)

 

[Bobitron]

Best wishes to all those involved in the cuts. Never in easy thing to have happen, even in the best of times.