WotC WotC President Cynthia Williams Resigns

Cynthia Williams, who has been president of Wizards of the Coast for the last two years, will be leaving the company at the end of the month, according to an SEC filing dated April 15th. Hasbro is already looking for somebody to step into the role.

Williams worked for Microsoft on the Gaming Ecosystem Commercial Team before joining WotC two years ago, stepping into the role that then-president Chris Cocks vacated when he was promoted to CEO of Hasbro in February 2022.

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
On April 15, 2024, Cynthia Williams, President of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Gaming, informed the Company of her resignation from the Company effective April 26, 2024. The Company is conducting a process to identify her successor, looking at both internal and external candidates.

According to Rascal News, WotC responded with a comment: "We’re excited for Cynthia to take the next step in her career and grateful for the contributions she has made in her more than two years at Wizards and Hasbro. We wish her the absolute best in her next endeavor. We have started the search for our next President of Wizards of the Coast and hope to have a successor in place soon."

 

[Parmandur]

I feel that the abruptness tells us something, right?

Nope, not really at all: could be a new job opportunity, something peraonal...really anything. 2 weeks notice is pretty standard at all levels.

 

[Oofta]

If she had been fired, it would have been immediate departure. So for some reason she decided to leave, we'll never know. Honestly I don't see how it really matters.

 

[AstroCat]

Needless to say, but I will... I love this! All falling into line... my thoughts on current day wotc, 5e/6e neo-d&d remain intact. Let's see how the paradigm continues to play out. Been waiting for a "change in management" for a long time now.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

The short notice is interesting, to the point where they don't even know who to appoint as her successor yet.

 

[Scribe]

If she had been fired, it would have been immediate departure. So for some reason she decided to leave, we'll never know. Honestly I don't see how it really matters.

No? With all the displeasure around OGL, and MtG, and right before a new edition drops?

 

[mamba]

Impossible to say, really. It could be as simple as just getting a better offer elsewhere, or something more dramatic, but either way we’ll probably never know.

agreed, I don't think we will learn it, but I would not mind knowing regardless

 

[SteveC]

Very interesting. We obviously don't know anything about why she resigned, but I can tell you that this short notice and lack of a replacement already in place is unusual. What you want, especially when a big launch is coming up, is stability. This isn't it. No idea what's going on, but hopefully it's not a health-related issue.

Edited to add: I know people are saying "maybe she just got another job." The thing is, when you're at this level, everyone knows everyone. You don't jump with this little notice just for another job. Your next employer won't want you to do something like this to them.

 

[overgeeked]

Hopefully the new boss, whomever they are, will actually allow the older edition SRDs to go into Creative Commons.

Do we know it was something she personally prevented?

 

[Oofta]

No? With all the displeasure around OGL, and MtG, and right before a new edition drops?

You don't get 2 weeks notice if you're fired. As far as the new edition, it's pretty much done at this point. The D&D books aren't where the real money is anyway.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

Or... Williams got an offer elsewhere that aligned closer to her interests, with the Wizards Presidency merely being a stepping stone of experience. These Presidents and CEOs easily get other jobs. They bounce around all over the place, whether Chief Officers or Board members.

Just watch. She'll be a CEO elsewhere real soon. And if she is, did Wizards get rid of her? Or did she leave Wizards because the temperature was too hot?