Jess Lanzillo Departs Wizards of the Coast

Another high profile name is departing Wizards of the Coast. Over the weekend, Jess Lanzillo announced she was departing Wizards of the Coast. Lanzillo was the VP of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise, a position that she held since February 2024. Lanzillo did not provide details about her next role.

During her tenure overseeing the D&D franchise, Lanzillo oversaw the launch of D&D's revised Fifth Edition as well as pushing it into a new direction. Several longtime leaders of the D&D team - Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins - also departed under her tenure. Recently, Wizards of the Coast posted two high-profile development roles seemingly to replace the pair.

Lanzillo's full post can be found below:

After eight years at Wizards of the Coast, I have made the totally reasonable decision to leave a job where I got paid to argue about whether fictional lizard people can have tails. (Of course they can.)

My trajectory at Wizards has been wonderfully unhinged: leading creative during an absolutely wild ride with Magic: The Gathering, doing business things as Chief of Staff, and finally, getting to be the VP of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise — which is either the best job title ever invented or proof that late-stage capitalism has finally achieved absolute absurdity. Take that, liberal arts naysayers!

Wizards turns imaginary worlds into real communities, which sounds fake but is actually the most satisfying work in the world. To everyone who let me champion this mission while constantly asking "can you add more glowies?" — you are perfect and I love you.

I've been ridiculously fortunate for these eight years, and now I'm lucky enough to, yet again, get to choose my own plot twist. The best part about having super specific creative obsessions is that occasionally the universe decides to reward you for them. More soon!

 

[mamba]

You mean Another one Rides the Bus? Oh wait ... wrong artist

so close, clearly it was ‘Hammer to fall’

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

You mean Another one Rides the Bus? Oh wait ... wrong artist

Weird Al is never the wrong artist. He's just not always the one you were expecting.

 

[Rushbolt]

Okay when they lost Perkins and Crawford I wasn't really worried about it because they still have quite a bit of talent in the building. Now Lanzillo bites the dust and on the same day the news comes out that Kendrick is gone. I'm starting to get worried (or hopeful maybe?) that this may be moving in the direction of cutting as much as you can before you sell something.

 

[Scribe]

Okay when they lost Perkins and Crawford I wasn't really worried about it because they still have quite a bit of talent in the building. Now Lanzillo bites the dust and on the same day the news comes out that Kendrick is gone. I'm starting to get worried (or hopeful maybe?) that this may be moving in the direction of cutting as much as you can before you sell something.

Hasbro selling off D&D? Can't see it.

 

[Rushbolt]

Hasbro selling off D&D? Can't see it.

I'm not saying there's a large chance, but I am also a Magic the Gathering player. Magic is the only product line I don't think Hasbro would sell. It makes 7 to 10 times the revenue of D&D with far less costs. D&D has been difficult to monetize because of it's replayability using the same materials over and over. I think Wizards is figuring out D&D is never going to be a major revenue stream. Honestly, the only reason I think they haven't already sold it is because they haven't found a buyer that will give them the right price.

 

[Chris Hilton]

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Another high profile name is departing Wizards of the Coast. Over the weekend, Jess Lanzillo announced she was departing Wizards of the Coast. Lanzillo was the VP of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise, a position that she held since February 2024. Lanzillo did not provide details about her next role.

During her tenure overseeing the D&D franchise, Lanzillo oversaw the launch of D&D's revised Fifth Edition as well as pushing it into a new direction. Several longtime leaders of the D&D team - Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins - also departed under her tenure. Recently, Wizards of the Coast posted two high-profile development roles seemingly to replace the pair.

Lanzillo's full post can be found below:

After eight years at Wizards of the Coast, I have made the totally reasonable decision to leave a job where I got paid to argue about whether fictional lizard people can have tails. (Of course they can.)

My trajectory at Wizards has been wonderfully unhinged: leading creative during an absolutely wild ride with Magic: The Gathering, doing business things as Chief of Staff, and finally, getting to be the VP of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise — which is either the best job title ever invented or proof that late-stage capitalism has finally achieved absolute absurdity. Take that, liberal arts naysayers!

Wizards turns imaginary worlds into real communities, which sounds fake but is actually the most satisfying work in the world. To everyone who let me champion this mission while constantly asking "can you add more glowies?" — you are perfect and I love you.

I've been ridiculously fortunate for these eight years, and now I'm lucky enough to, yet again, get to choose my own plot twist. The best part about having super specific creative obsessions is that occasionally the universe decides to reward you for them. More soon!

Saying a lot but meaning very little, a bit like the rules of dnd, I doubt she will be missed.

 

[Staffan]

I'm not saying there's a large chance, but I am also a Magic the Gathering player. Magic is the only product line I don't think Hasbro would sell.

Hasbro isn't exactly known for selling IPs. They'd be more likely to mothball it and bring it out after a decade or two to cash in on nostalgia vibes.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I think Wizards is figuring out D&D is never going to be a major revenue stream. Honestly, the only reason I think they haven't already sold it is because they haven't found a buyer that will give them the right price.

The real money comes from the merchandise!


Looking forward to the sequel???

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Eight years is the second longest I've worked anywhere. I'm currently at 13 years at my current job and I am itching to get out the door and make a change, assuming the stars align around my youngest's school calendar.

I don't think I've worked in any one place for more than 8 years. Short attention span. I get bored.

 

[mamba]

Magic is the only product line I don't think Hasbro would sell. It makes 7 to 10 times the revenue of D&D with far less costs. D&D has been difficult to monetize because of it's replayability using the same materials over and over.

I have no idea about the cost side, but both MtG and D&D are easily the most profitable ‘products’ Hasbro owns with around 50% profit margins (so they should not be that far apart cost wise) and accounting for almost Hasbro’s entire profit, so they are not likely to sell either