Project Sigil 90% Of D&D’s Project Sigil Team Laid Off

Reports are coming in of a swathe of layoffs at Wizards of the Coast, constituting 90% of the team of the new Project Sigil virtual tabletop platform. In all, over 30 people have been laid off, leaving a team of around 3 people.

Sigil is still in beta, only recently made public three weeks ago. Recent reports indicated that the scope of the project was seemingly being cut back.

WotC’s Andy Collins—who has worked on multiple editions of D&D and other WotC TTRPGs going back to 1996—reported via LinkedIn that he was one of those laid off. He indicated that the small team left behind would continue to work on the project.

More news as it comes in.

 

[Parmandur]

250 people sounds crazy big for this project. Honestly: I don't believe it.

No, for a big Unreal Engine product, that is a reasonable headcount. Maybe a bit small.

But Hasbro executives doing the math on results, and comparing to the results of leaner Beyond team...

 

[Ruin Explorer]

250 people sounds crazy big for this project. Honestly: I don't believe it.

Yeah that's why we were skeptical - that's AAA gaming numbers.

It they were really completely committed to the project, it might have been possible, of course. But its clear now that if they ever were, that stopped being the case some time ago.

 

[MerricB]

No, for a big Unreal Engine product, that is a reasonable headcount. Maybe a bit small.

Was this really a big Unreal Engine product?

Split Fiction had a team of 80 people. (Unreal Engine 5). Most likely it'll be nominated for Game of the Year.

 

[mamba]

Interesting too that 30 developers is "90% of the team" when under Cynthia Williams they had 250 people (according to her) working on this project

I was about to post about that, whatever happened to the 250-300 working on it? I don’t think we ever heard anything about the others leaving, so are they still working on it (then what does the 90% refer to)? Were they reassigned? Were they let go and we / I just didn’t hear about it?

 

[aiouh]

Maybe she counted freelance contractors for one-off stuff like graphical assets or writing

 

[mamba]

No, for a big Unreal Engine product, that is a reasonable headcount. Maybe a bit small.

it should not be a big Unreal project though, there are quite a few things a game needs that a VTT does not. About the only thing a VTT needs that a game does not is user friendly tools to make maps (games need those too, they just do not need to be anywhere as polished)

 

[Reynard]

This is starting to feel like an OGL thread, with laymen arguing against lawyers...

 

[The Soloist]

I saw a video yesterday about this on YouTube. I wasn't sure if it was clickbait or accurate.

I'm more on the side of needing only 10% to complete the project. Only time will tell if it's three death saves failed dead.

 

[sevenbastard]

I honestly assumed my 10 year old laptop wouldn't run it and as it was probably wasn't finished yet anyway so I should just wait a few months till they worked out the kinks.

I'm not a marketing guru but maybe launching it with a full 5.24 adventure to show off the system and get people to try it would have helped promote it.

Launch it with "Sunless Citadel" or some other known dungeon built and ready. Try 5.24 and Sigil at the same time.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I was about to post about that, whatever happened to the 250-300 working on it? I don’t think we ever heard anything about the others leaving, so are they still working on it (then what does the 90% refer to)? Were they reassigned? Were they let go and we / I just didn’t hear about it?

I don't think they can have been let go because that'd be 200+ people and we'd have noticed, there'd have been talk.

I suspect it's more like Williams had them on paper intending to hire 250 people or something, and just overstated how many they already had. Then they probably never got beyond 40 or w/e. Even if for some reason she was counting all WotC's "digital product" employees at the time (despite saying 3D VTT) it wouldn't add up to 250 if they only had less than 40 on the 3D VTT.