D&D General 'Project Sigil' 3D Virtual Tabletop Finally Laid To Rest

After 'sunsetting' the active development of Dungeons & Dragons' ambitious 3D virtual tabletop back in March, when 90%--about 30 people--of the team was laid off, Wizards of the Coast has confirmed that development on Project Sigil is ending permanently.

In a message on D&D Beyond, WotC thanked users for their support. Those who have used a Master Tier subscription in the last 6 months will gain a 6-month credit. Sigil will still be available to use until the end of October 2026.

We have made the difficult decision to end development on Sigil. This was not a decision made lightly, and it followed months of reflection with all teams involved. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who explored Sigil with us and shared in its journey. Your passion and feedback meant the world.

At Wizards of the Coast, our goal is to create experiences that help you tell incredible stories together, whether at the table, online, or anywhere you gather to play.

When we introduced Sigil, we imagined a powerful 3D virtual tabletop where you could share maps, minis, and environments with your friends and fellow players. While that vision inspired thousands of players and creators, we couldn't sustain the level of ongoing development support that Sigil—or our community—deserved. That’s on us. What we’ve learned from Sigil, and from your feedback, will guide how we approach future digital tools. We’ll take the time to do it right in pursuit of developing the best D&D experiences possible.

To everyone who built and played in Sigil—developers, DMs, players, and creators alike—thank you. Your time, creativity, and feedback made Sigil what it was. We know this decision hurts, especially for everyone who built campaigns, shared feedback, and believed in Sigil’s future. You deserve clarity about what happens next.

 

[MockingBird]

It was a cool idea but man, maps on D&D beyond is just so easy to use.

 

[Gradine]

I mean the real question was... did they pronounce it like the word Sigil or the interplanar city Sigil?

 

[Clint_L]

I wouldn't bet any large amount of money on that. My assumption would be that absolutely no one asked for it, other then WotC higher ups who figured that a video-game-like virtual tabletop interface was their path to establishing cosmetic microtransactions as an engine to endlessly print free money. This is complete speculation though, obviously I have no sources on that.

I think people definitely want a VTT, because Maps has been a huge hit. They just don't want a VTT that they need a high end computer to run and that takes significant time and effort to learn and apply. I mean, a few do, and they're a niche that is well served by products like Foundry. But Maps does a much better job of hitting the sweet spot for your typical user. It's so simple.

SIgil was just way, way overdesigned.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think people definitely want a VTT, because Maps has been a huge hit. They just don't want a VTT that they need a high end computer to run and that takes significant time and effort to learn and apply. I mean, a few do, and they're a niche that is well served by products like Foundry. But Maps does a much better job of hitting the sweet spot for your typical user. It's so simple.

The closest counterpart seems to be Talespire, and while it doesn't seem to be in any danger of going under, it's also not the dominant VTT.

If WotC's goal was to swoop in and gobble up a big part of the VTT market, going after Fantasy Grounds or Roll20 makes more sense. At the moment, with Maps, they seem to be straddling those and a simpler VTT like Owlbear Rodeo, although I suspect they will work on making Maps more robust (with optional microtransactions) over time.

 

[EternalDungeonMaster]

I think over the years as various attempts at 3D entertainment technology have emerged, I've general found them to be off-putting and a direct threat to immersion. The old 3D movies, 3D TV, 3D gaming, etc. have all been difficult for me to find anything more than an initial novel enjoyment that quickly wears thin.

But I love that people are still trying to advance the space and innovate. Who knows what the future will bring. Personally, I can't wait to see what's next. But for me, 2D VTTs are my online gaming tool of choice for games that benefit from a grid-and-minis approach, such as D&D 5e. But I still enjoy Theater of the Mind for games that are more abstract.

 

[Zaukrie]

I still think 2.5d is the way to go. Minis on a table, with a few props like doors and chests and a tree here and there.... Like playing at home with minis.

Not tying Sigil to dndbeyond in the first place was a weird decision. They have a very good character builder! Use it.

 

[SteveC]

No one is surprised about this, but I am sad about it because the DM for one of my online groups loved it and was hoping to use it. It seems to me that WotC would do well to partner with one of the big VTTs and put its energy there rather than effectively ceding this part of gaming. Of course, I hope it would be Foundry, but I do play a game on Roll20, and I'd take that. I'm currently playing the Vecna module on Roll20, and it's worked decently, aside from the hiccups of the platform.

 

[Clint_L]

No one is surprised about this, but I am sad about it because the DM for one of my online groups loved it and was hoping to use it. It seems to me that WotC would do well to partner with one of the big VTTs and put its energy there rather than effectively ceding this part of gaming. Of course, I hope it would be Foundry, but I do play a game on Roll20, and I'd take that. I'm currently playing the Vecna module on Roll20, and it's worked decently, aside from the hiccups of the platform.

WotC does partner with both of those VTTs!

 

[DrJawaPhD]

I think people definitely want a VTT, because Maps has been a huge hit. They just don't want a VTT that they need a high end computer to run and that takes significant time and effort to learn and apply. I mean, a few do, and they're a niche that is well served by products like Foundry. But Maps does a much better job of hitting the sweet spot for your typical user. It's so simple.

SIgil was just way, way overdesigned.

Yeah definitely people want VTTs but so many options already exist. It seemed from the start like WotC had no interest in a me-too-solution (solid logic imo) and that the whole point of Sigil was to develop something that blows them out of the water, providing an actual reason to switch platforms. One could argue this means "overdesigned", but I think that was entirely the design they were aiming for.

There obviously is a huge market for people wanting to play video-game-like DnD on high end computers (see: Baldur's Gate 3), and Sigil was the perfect pathway to getting those people onto a platform that easily lends itself to lucrative cosmetic microtransactions in the near-term, and AI dungeon master module content in the long-term. It could've been a huge moneymaker for WotC if they could get over the development cost, and more importantly what I think scared them off of it - the looming PR hit from the new monetization practices.

 

[EthanSental]

Still a cool thing to have tried and give the creator that were still active in the Sigil discord credit, all seemed like great people trying to what they could for fans.

Edit - work with FG and Carl to create the 3D he was working on but now under FG. Doug, Carl it you read this, let’s get started!