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.

 

[Cergorach]

On the other hand, there's a lot to be said of the business side realizing that Maps was covering the need, and stopping work on the stuff nobody really wanted.

No one was looking for smartphones when they started making smartphones, now everyone has them...

And it's not like no one wants 3D maps, TaleSpire is a better example of how you do that, as is the 3D module for Foundry VTT, there are a couple of other projects in development along these lines as well. So there is demand, the question is how much. And how many people are willing to use heavy computers to run essentially a 3D game on them? The amount of extra work that goes into 3D vs. 2D, etc.

And let's be honest, what WotC produced in years is subpar compared to far smaller outfits like TaleSpire accomplished before they Sigil came out. WotC was late again to the party, so most people already had made their decisions on what VTT to run, they went with Windows only support in an age where a LOT of folks don't even have a desktop/laptop anymore, and what they produced was P-poor! It could have been successful, as TaleSpire is showing on a far smaller scale, but it's WotC/Hasbro, so a digital mess is not unexpected.

 

[Weiley31]

What a waste of money.

 

[Cergorach]

What a waste of money.

It was either that or pay dividends...

 

[HywelPhillips]

I think the thing people underestimate is just how much WORK it is to do stuff in 3D. Like AAA games have entire departments just working on the levels and maps. In a 2D VTT you can grab a battlemap from the published adventure you are running, or a Patreon, or DriveThruRPG, or whip one up with any one of a number of programs from GIMP or Photoshop through Dungeondraft etc.. You can get away with a blank screen and a sketch map.

That's not going to fly in 3D - if it is so much work that the GM never uses the 3D, it might as well not exist.
Fantasy Grounds has a pretty good 2.5D implementation using a flat map as the ground and full-length images like stand-up tokens. You can drop trees etc. around and have an approximation of walls. But you know what? Few people seem to be using it. Because although it is way cool, it is also way more work for the GM to set up properly.

3D is SO MUCH MORE work. Even learning a 3D tool is a major learning curve. Dungeon Alchemist is kinda-3D but really works on a 2.5D organisation under the skin (pretty much). A full 3D environment it is not.

Even Hasbro didn't have the resources to do full 3D level designs for their own published adventures. No indie GM is going to do it for a weekly game. I have a friend who runs pretty good adventures in Talespire but every one-shot takes him MONTHS to build.

Whoever greenlit this project didn't realise that getting a working 3D engine is easy, but getting the maps and assets is insanely time- and resource-consuming.

 

[Von Ether]

I've lost track of the revolving door of CEOs. Which administration started Sigil up? Was that the same team that thought D&D Beyond subscriptions was the key to profits?

 

[Azzy]

A lot of us thought that it was a boondoggle from the get-go, but it's still a shame. It may have turned out better given more time and development, but it seemed to me to be overly ambitious. I hope the developers land on their feet.

 

[overgeeked]

What a waste of money.

Right? How many millions did they just flush down the toilet?