Wizards of the Coast Hiring New Lead Designer and Head of Game Ecosystem for D&D

Wizards of the Coast seems to be hiring replacements for Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford. This week, Wizards of the Coast posted job listings for a new "Head of Game Ecosystem" for Dungeons & Dragons, as well as a new "Principal Game Designer" for the game. Both are high level positions focused on product execution for Dungeons & Dragons, with 8+ years of experience in game design preferred for both roles.

Wizards of the Coast recently lost the two arguable faces of Dungeons & Dragons - Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins. Both left the company after the launch of D&D's revised 5th Edition ruleset. In an interview I did with Jess Lanzillo about the departures, she indicated that others within the D&D design team would be taking on greater responsibilities moving forward.

The job description for the Principal Game Designer role is below:

The Principal Game Designer leads the execution of Dungeons & Dragons’ major product releases. These tentpole projects span analog and digital expressions and may include setting content, rules-adjacent systems, adventures, and platform-native features. This role architects and stewards the design vision of sophisticated product suites, working closely with design leads, editorial, rules leadership, and digital teams to ensure cohesion and quality across every player touchpoint.

What You'll Do:

• Lead the game design execution of major multi-SKU product suites, collaborating with cross-functional partners to align scope, tone, and player value.
• Structure content development plans, including product mapping, design outlines, and contributor briefs that account for both analog + digital formats.
• Guide designers, freelancers, and partners in developing content that reflects D&D’s tone, design ethos, and evolving format needs.
• Collaborate with rules design leadership to integrate new mechanics or modular systems under development into flagship products.
• Act as the primary design voice for your product(s), providing vision, review, and iteration through every phase of development.
• Partner with the Executive Producer and Head of Product to ensure your projects meet the quality bar and are delivered on time and within budget.

The Head of Game Ecosystem job description is below:

The Head of Game Ecosystem is a crucial leadership position responsible for driving the complete design and evolution of the Dungeons & Dragons game system. This role ensures consistency across all game releases, both physical and digital, preserving the integrity of the rules and mechanics while encouraging innovation.

What You'll Do:

• Define and drive the long-term vision for D&D’s core rules and gameplay systems across all product formats.
• Own the rules roadmap and ensure mechanical consistency and interoperability between releases.
• Propose and lead ecosystem-forward product initiatives—system-focused releases that reinforce the health, extensibility, and accessibility of the D&D ruleset across play formats and player types.
• Lead and mentor a team of game designers and developers to deliver high-quality content at scale.
• Partner closely with product management, narrative, and digital teams to align game systems with franchise goals and player needs.
• Develop frameworks and tools to support scalable content creation—internally and externally—without compromising quality.
• Represent D&D’s systems vision internally and externally, acting as a voice of authority and alignment across all design efforts.

 

[mamba]

We should assume there will be another revision to the 5E rules in 2034. I'm sure that's the plan at WotC.

I doubt they have a plan for 203x (schedule for playtests to get to a 2034 release, or a plan for an update then in the first place).

They might do something because it then is 60 years of D&D, but not because it is 20 years of 5e. I would not be surprised if we see a second revision before then, this will be a matter of where sales go, not some decades long masterplan

 

[THEMNGMNT]

It is what is not written that have people thinking in terms of a new edition plan.

That's conspiratorial thinking.

They say nothing = "They must be hiding something!"

They say something = "They must be lying!"

Either way, people see it as validation for their pet theory.

Drives me crazy.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

I doubt they have a plan for 203x (schedule for playtests to get to a 2034 release, or a plan for an update then in the first place).

They might do something because it then is 60 years of D&D, but not because it is 20 years of 5e. I would not be surprised if we see a second revision before then, this will be a matter of where sales go, not some decades long masterplan

They absolutely have a multiyear plan. Yes, plans can, will, and do change. But the last 10 years of D&D -- the most successful in its history -- are no doubt shaping the plan for the next 10 years. The last thing WotC wants to do is create a new edition. It's time consuming, costly, and high risk.

 

[mamba]

They absolutely have a multiyear plan.

sure, I doubt it goes 10 years out though. Two years are probably pretty firm, the next three pretty soft, and anything beyond that is not even a plan

the last 10 years of D&D -- the most successful in its history -- are no doubt shaping the plan for the next 10 years.

in some ways, like how many releases per year, most likely, but it won’t be a mirror of the past ten

The last thing WotC wants to do is create a new edition. It's time consuming, costly, and high risk.

which is why sales will decide this more than time. Do you consider 2024 a new edition in that context or would only a drastic departure quality?

2024 is doing well enough for now to say it was a success so far, what it needs to do now is not lose momentum, esp if they want to keep it going for another 10 years. It changed too little for me to consider it a success however, not that this matters to WotC. Will be interesting to see if they can stay still for the next 10 years or need to revise things sooner

 

[Henadic Theologian]

There is nothing in the job posting that suggests 6E is in development. Nothing.

This looks like the backfill for Jeremy Crawford. Work with other senior to leaders to develop a product roadmap, decide which rules will be in new products, and develop the rules.

So, what does "rules" mean for 5E? For most books, it means one thing: subclasses. Think about everything published between the 2014 and 2024 Player's Handbook...what rules were in them?

• Over 100 subclasses
• 1 class
• Lots of spells
• Some traps
• A few vehicles

Did I miss anything? Maybe. But that's about it.

We should assume there will be another revision to the 5E rules in 2034. I'm sure that's the plan at WotC.

You forgot a big one, dozens of races/species.

 

[bedir than]

Anyone from ENWorld that gets the gig has a standing invite for a personal tour of Renton, the City of Dragons

 

[pukunui]

You forgot a big one, dozens of races/species.

Also magic items.

 

[ruemere]

Just for the heck of it, I have requested an AI to rate the chance both ads were made by AI, and then provide its reasoning.

1. The first ad was rated as 80% human work, with some AI used for editorial cleanup.

2. The second ad was rated as 50% human work, being probably built by an AI, and then adjusted by a human.

Curiously, business jargon was one of the reasons for suspected high degree of human involvement.

Note: that just me interpreting AI analysis. Please take with a grain of salt.

 

[Clint_L]

That's conspiratorial thinking.

They say nothing = "They must be hiding something!"

They say something = "They must be lying!"

Either way, people see it as validation for their pet theory.

Drives me crazy.

This, and that the whole point of keeping 5e with minor updates is that they want to get away from the short term model of relying on new editions for sporadic sales boosts at the cost of splitting their base, and become like a mature business that prioritizes steady, predictable sales. They've been utterly clear on their strategy, the linchpin of which is "5e works great; we're going to stop competing against ourselves and just allow it to slowly evolve."

And then they did that with the 2024 rules. And all of their announced material follows the same approach.

There's zero evidence for 6e being secretly in the works, and a lot of evidence against it.

 

[bedir than]

This, and that the whole point of keeping 5e with minor updates is that they want to get away from the short term model of relying on new editions for sporadic sales boosts at the cost of splitting their base, and become like a mature business that prioritizes steady, predictable sales. They've been utterly clear on their strategy, the linchpin of which is "5e works great; we're going to stop competing against ourselves and just allow it to slowly evolve."

And then they did that with the 2024 rules. And all of their announced material follows the same approach.

There's zero evidence for 6e being secretly in the works, and a lot of evidence against it.

Furthermore there are 5e adventures with longer selling lives than some editions.

That's why they'll only iterate on 5e for quite a while. The ability to sell back catalog in bigger number than previous PHB is powerful stuff for investors (because that back catalog costs nearly zero dollars now).