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.

 

[lynnfredricks]

Entirely possible some bean counters looked at the cost to come up with Monopoly Go vs Sigil and pulled the plug because of ROI.

I think Sigil has a chance if WotC did all the design / set up of great classic modules (like B2, G & D series) for 5e 2024.

 

[TheSword]

What exactly does assuming it will go right accomplish, beyond it feeling better to you?

Reduced anxiety, reduced depression, less risk averse, less chance of coronary heart disease. Is that not enough.

How about if we assumed things won’t work then we won’t get anything new?

 

[Umbran]

What exactly does assuming it will go right accomplish, beyond it feeling better to you?

Aside from the immediate driving of this question to absolute poles?

Optimism is not the assumption that it will go right. Pessimism is not the assumption that it will go wrong. They are both more nuanced concepts than that.

However, pessimism is known to demotivate teams, leading to pessimism being an easy road to self-fulfilling prophecy. If you are pessimistic, you give up too early, as you assume that efforts to overcome challenges are likely wasted.

Optimism avoids that trap, and more strongly motivates teams to do their best work.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Optimism isn't about assuming it will go right. Being optimistic is about working towards making things go right. Believing that we can get things to work.
Why oh why does every conversation end up with people arguing over the definition of things?!?!

If pessimism is assuming things will go wrong (as @TheSword says), how can optimism not be assuming things will go right?

 

[Scribe]

Thats not what pessimism means. It’s not just a case of working out what could go wrong, it’s assuming it will go wrong.

I assume, people will fail me. Therefore, I account for their failures, and when it DOES happen, I not only am not surprised, not only am I prepared for it, but I also get that sense of satisfaction that people have once again met my low expectations.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Reduced anxiety, reduced depression, less risk averse, less chance of coronary heart disease. Is that not enough.

How about if we assumed things won’t then we won’t get anything new?

On the other hand, pessimists generally experience less disappointment.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Aside from the immediate driving of this question to absolute poles?

Optimism is not the assumption that it will go right. Pessimism is not the assumption that it will go wrong. They are both more nuanced concepts than that.

However, pessimism is known to demotivate teams, leading to pessimism being an easy road to self-fulfilling prophecy. If you are pessimistic, you give up too early, as you assume that efforts to overcome challenges are likely wasted.

Optimism avoids that trap, and more strongly motivates teams to do their best work.

What does being a pessimist have to do with teams? Plenty of individual pessimists out there.

 

[dave2008]

On the other hand, pessimists generally experience less disappointment.

IDK, being a pessimists doesn't mean your are not disappointed when your right. I know when I take a pessimistic viewpoint and it proves correct I am still disappointed.

 

[Maxperson]

no, not in hindsight.

This is what? The THIRD attempt?

So, insanity. Trying the same thing over and over again hoping for different results...

 

[Umbran]

What does being a pessimist have to do with teams? Plenty of individual pessimists out there.

I just said what they had to do with teams. Pessimistic outlooks tend to reduce team performance, by reducing dedication to the effort, making success harder or more expensive to achieve. Pessimism is also associated with less creative problem solving.

That there are plenty of them out there doesn't somehow mean the outlook doesn't have a negative impact on efforts to reach a goal.