D&D 5E (2024) WotC staff guests on Nerd Immersion, State of the Game.

darjr · 2026-03-04T18:10:45+0000

First of many apparently.

D&D State of the Game is a new seasonal update series from Dungeons & Dragons, and I'm

excited to share the very first episode here, made in partnership with Wizards of the Coast, to

give you a front-row seat to what's ahead.

In this inaugural update, I'm joined by the D&D team for a deep-dive into the new D&D

Seasons

model, starting with the chilling reveal of Season of Horror, the haunting return of Ravenloft,

plus a look at major D&D Beyond updates and the broader 2026 D&D roadmap.

Featuring D&D Executive Producer Greg Bilsland, Franchise Creative Director Kara Kenna, Head

of Art Josh Herman, and Game Design Director Justice Arman, we dig into the "why" behind seasons, the creative and design thinking shaping the year ahead, and how the team is building the next chapter of D&D

darjr · 2026-03-04T18:17:52+0000

Introduction 00:00
Introducing the panel 00:54
Why State of the Game? 02:54
What is a Season? 04:10
Seasons are for new and veteran players 06:02
How long is a season? 08:39
What is the franchise model? 09:22
How do you choose which campaign worlds to revisit? 10:54
How long does it take to develop a new D&D product? 12:54
Ravenloft 18:45
The role of art in developing D&D products 22:04
Playtesting and giving feedback 26:17
Leaving feedback 31:50
Final Thoughts 32:22

Christian Hoffer · 2026-03-04T18:22:08+0000

He's come a long way from reading my articles verbatim on his channel with no linkbacks to them.

Zaukrie · 2026-03-04T18:52:22+0000

Good they are doing this stuff. I'm not sure I learned much. "three year process" to make something sometimes!

Zaukrie · 2026-03-04T18:55:46+0000

June 16 for Ravenloft? So, what between now and then? Nothing? For six months?

MichaelSomething · 2026-03-05T08:42:34+0000

Zaukrie said:
June 16 for Ravenloft? So, what between now and then? Nothing? For six months?

Think of it as an era of freedom where DMs are free to create and run the games THEY want without some corporate product telling them how to play!

Morrus · 2026-03-05T08:44:57+0000

Christian Hoffer said:
He's come a long way from reading my articles verbatim on his channel with no linkbacks to them.

If it’s any comfort, there’s plenty of YouTubers and podcasters who still do that.

Parmandur · 2026-03-05T11:57:42+0000

Zaukrie said:
June 16 for Ravenloft? So, what between now and then? Nothing? For six months?

Yup. Dragon Delves hit in July of last year, if the MM had not been delayed that is even later. April and May have been common times for the first book of the year to drop in the past.