D&D 5E Kate Welch has left WotC

[Al2O3]

I wonder if the "not sure what comes next" part implies that she was fired or that she left because she wanted out of the company. That was my first impression.

I hope that it is more of "there are so many opportunities available, I don't know which one to go for first."

 

[Burnside]

Ghosts of Saltmarsh is really good. I’m sorry we won’t see more WotC stuff from her.

I find it hard to believe the departure is voluntary on her part, simply because it seems like a very unlikely time, economically, to leave a steady gig like that without a clear destination in mind.

 

[Parmandur]

Ghosts of Saltmarsh was her project as well.

She also did the Rick & Morty box set. She transitioned from being a Game Designer in December to being a digital User Experience specialist, so she wasn't working on book projects this year.

 

[CubicsRube]

I was actually thinking "already", and then I read she's been there 3 years now. Wow, seems like not long ago we had that big dumb thread on her hiring.

Yeah I remember that unfortunate thread.

I think she proved that she actually had talent and contributed greatly to the team.

Shame she's moved on.

 

[Sacrosanct]

She has a lot going on in her life as well (just got engaged IIRC), so that may have something to do with it. Or not. Who knows but her. Either way, she did a great job and I wish her the best, and wish her happiness.

 

[MwaO]

Not for nothing, but if you're a D&D designer in Seattle, odds are you might have other options that pay a lot more than WotC...

Greg Bilsland is now Head of Launch Marketing of Amazon Web Services as an example.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Bummer. Here's hoping the best for her next job.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I wonder if the "not sure what comes next" part implies that she was fired or that she left because she wanted out of the company. That was my first impression.

I hope that it is more of "there are so many opportunities available, I don't know which one to go for first."

I doubt she was fired, she had a pretty strong presence in their whole Rime of the Frostwind shows. Also the work she has put out (GoS, R&M) sold pretty well so her design performance has been good.

It is possible (and this is just speculation) that the Orion Black situation has left a bad taste for other employees right now. Meaning that how the company has handled those issues (and the issues of sexism/mysogyny/racism in RPGs) may be "too little too late" for some employees. Welch pointed out some especially sharp criticism for Myke Cole on these issues, so she likely feels quite strongly about them.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

I doubt she was fired, she had a pretty strong presence in their whole Rime of the Frostwind shows. Also the work she has put out (GoS, R&M) sold pretty well so her design performance has been good.

It is possible (and this is just speculation) that the Orion Black situation has left a bad taste for other employees right now. Meaning that how the company has handled those issues (and the issues of sexism/mysogyny/racism in RPGs) may be "too little too late" for some employees. Welch pointed out some especially sharp criticism for Myke Cole on these issues, so she likely feels quite strongly about them.

is this going to be another "Mike Mearls is locked in a WotC dungeon thread"? Guys, sometimes people move on after a few years in a job even if nothing goes wrong.

 

[cmad1977]

is this going to be another "Mike Mearls is locked in a WotC dungeon thread"? Guys, sometimes people move on after a few years in a job even if nothing goes wrong.

Yeah. Odds are she’s just... “done”. She’s had a successful run at a business and is going to parley that into another, better job for her.

Or she’s gonna take a vacation.