I have been unable to verify any of this, so consider this no more than a "rumour report". However I'm hearing that layoffs have occurred at WotC this week, and that one of the victims is art director Mark Painter. Again, all rumour at this point.
I thought they were already trimmed down pretty far. I'm anticipating the next sourcebook to be authored by Mike Mearls and a Roomba.But sustainability requires awareness of the brand's life cycle, which historically has been "big burst of revenue when a new edition is released, followed by years of dwindling returns from supplements." Mike Mearls commented that years 3-5 would be the big challenge for 5th Edition. I wouldn't be surprised if they were trimming staff a bit further in anticipation of those lean years. Once they confirm that their business model can keep working after the shine wears off the new edition, they may start adding people, albeit slowly.
I thought they were already trimmed down pretty far. I'm anticipating the next sourcebook to be authored by Mike Mearls and a Roomba.
First, I tend to wear rose-colored glasses, so there's that.
Does no one realize how much time it actually takes to outsource/delegate/mamage a product? Let alone a product line? Let alone a creative product line. Any of these "outsourced" companies and their representatives can tell you the tremendous amount of back-and-forth, the meetings, the emails, the rewrite-from-scratch, the time investment on the Mearls&Co side.
Also, isn't this kind of what we wanted?
This "cynical extreme" you've cooked up to oppose appears to be a scarecrow stuffed with pure fantasy.
Trying to convince someone that their feelings are wrong, however, is merely tilting at windmills.
Talking about reorgs as "ominous corporate design", when we don't even know if the reorg in question ended with anyone we care about getting the axe
I thought they were already trimmed down pretty far. I'm anticipating the next sourcebook to be authored by Mike Mearls and a Roomba.
The Roomba IS a cheap and well motivated employee.Actually they've been INCREASING the D&D team, not decreasing it. They are up to 17, or 18, people working in the D&D department, depending on whether Mark Painter was in fact laid off or not (still unverified). It was as low as 13 I believe.
Actually they've been INCREASING the D&D team, not decreasing it. They are up to 17, or 18, people working in the D&D department, depending on whether Mark Painter was in fact laid off or not (still unverified). It was as low as 13 I believe.