D&D 5E I guess Jon Schindehette out. Bad news for D&D NEXT?

[Jeff Carlsen]

I think it's a terrible loss for D&D. The art direction shown in the Dragon's Eye View articles was very much what I'm looking for in D&D.

That said, the direction for the art is probably already set. I would be surprised if much of the art for the initial product run isn't already far along. The biggest part of his job may well be done.

Either way, I wish him luck.

 

[delericho]

Good luck to Jon. I didn't read all his articles, and didn't agree with everything in the ones I did read, but his passion for the game was pretty obvious, and so it's a loss to D&D.

 

[Zireael]

I guess that's the case, but it really seems to be costing them some experienced talent. I don't believe I've ever seen Monte offer this up as the explanation for why left - though ever since Stan! posted on his blog about it, I've suspected that's the case.

Ultimately, they're in an industry in which I think a policy like that is not good for retention of employees (though I'm not sure that's ever really been a significant concern for Hasbro-era WotC). They're creative people and there's lots of opportunity for free lancing and self-publishing. I suppose the suit mentality looks at that as a competitive threat for their employees' ideas, but lately it really seems to be a threat for their employees' overall employment.

Yeah, I get that feeling too. The WotC wants the best, but the best are creative and therefore want to pursue other stuff, and therefore are forced to leave... not a good situation IMHO.

 

[Mistwell]

The way to retain good talent while preventing them from working on anything other than your project, is to pay them so much they don't miss the other work. Would he have stayed at $165K/yr + Hasbro stock options? Without knowing him and commenting on essentially a blank slate, my guess is yes.

 

[Jeremy E Grenemyer]

Well that's just rotten news. Jon's work on the art/look for the Realms is something I've appreciated and was hoping to see more of right up to the launch of the post-Sundering Realms.

To me he'd become one of the voices of the new Realms and I'm disappointed that I won't get to read more from him about what's going on with the development of the setting.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

The way to retain good talent while preventing them from working on anything other than your project, is to pay them so much they don't miss the other work. Would he have stayed at $165K/yr + Hasbro stock options? Without knowing him and commenting on essentially a blank slate, my guess is yes.

I don't think the TTRPG part of the D&D brand makes enough profit to double/triple their salaries.

 

[Mistwell]

I don't think the TTRPG part of the D&D brand makes enough profit to double/triple their salaries.

Depends on whether or not they're going to take Marvel Comics Group approach to moneymaking, where the base IP product drives profits by promoting the IP for a whole range of other products. For example, Marvel Comics themselves are, in general, not money making ventures. However, they drive the intellectual property support for the movies, TV shows, toys, and a host of other licenses items that make an enormous amount of money. So they pay top dollar for talent for the comics. Without the comics you don't have the legitimacy for the rest of the stuff, nor the incubation of new IP. Comics readers essentially serve the purpose of paying to be a test market for the larger IP market that is Marvel. And you want some of your best talent working on that test market product.

If Hasbro takes the D&D brand seriously, they'll want to protect that base game product that's the driving force, the idea generation, the legitimacy, and the test market for that much larger and profitable brand. Which means they need to pay for good talent, even if the game itself isn't a moneymaker.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

Depends on whether or not they're going to take Marvel Comics Group approach to moneymaking, where the base IP product drives profits by promoting the IP for a whole range of other products. (snip) If Hasbro takes the D&D brand seriously, they'll want to protect that base game product that's the driving force, the idea generation, the legitimacy, and the test market for that much larger and profitable brand. Which means they need to pay for good talent, even if the game itself isn't a moneymaker.

Great points.

I suppose there is a fundamental cynicism behind my comment: I don't think the D&D brand is taken seriously by Hasbro yet. Of course, that could (and would) change if they are able to make a D&D movie and it becomes a success.

 

[Mistwell]

Great points.

I suppose there is a fundamental cynicism behind my comment: I don't think the D&D brand is taken seriously by Hasbro yet. Of course, that could (and would) change if they are able to make a D&D movie and it becomes a success.

Agreed. I honestly think Hasbro executives are, for the most part, fairly unaware of D&D. It seems so small relative to things like MtG that I imagine it's just a blip in a long series of charts they read every month.

 

[Plaguescarred]

I wish Jon best of luck and im thankful for all the work he did for D&D!