WotC Ray Winninger Is Head of D&D RPG Team; Mike Mearls No Longer Works on RPG

People have been wondering where Mike Mearls has gone for quite some time. It seems that he has...

People have been wondering where Mike Mearls has gone for quite some time. It seems that he has not been working on the D&D tabletop RPG since some time last year, and the new head of the team and Executive Producer is Ray Winninger.

Winninger is an RPG industry veteran. Amongst other things, he was co-designer of DC Heroes and Torg, and wrote the Dungeoncraft column for Dragon Magazine. He has worked at a number of RPG companies including TSR, Mayfair Games, West End Games, and more.

Ray_Winninger_at_MIX08_2_crop.jpg



Winninger is Chris Perkins' and Jeremy Crawford's boss. And in further comments, Chris Perkins says that Mike Mearls has not been part of the tabletop RPG team since some time last year.


That explains why Mearls' Twitch shows, like Happy Fun Hour, have disappeared. Although he's made a couple of retweets since, his last tweet on Twitter was February 13th, 2019. He still works at WotC on the D&D brand in some capacity, but not the tabletop RPG itself (he did an interview about Baldur's Gate 3 on Polygon last year).

Ray Winninger introduces himself in the latest issue of Dragon+, WotC's online magazine. "My name is Ray Winninger and I’m the new Executive Producer in charge of the Dungeons & Dragons studio at Wizards of the Coast. In just a few months on the job, I’ve already been impressed by the skills and the passion of the designers, artists, editors, and production staff who bring you our terrific D&D products. They are a uniquely talented group, and it is an honor to work alongside them."
 

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I think it is not time for a 5.5 or 6th ed yet. This phase hasn't ended yet. The need to know the reaction of the fandom with the future media titles, action-live productions, animation and videogames.

My opinion is the next project will be a new no-D&D d20 title. We don't know enough compatible or with the same leveling up. A d20 superheroes is a true challenge for the game designers with a conflict about power balance, coherence and gameplay. I guess we would see a future playtesting. Would do they dare to change any sacred cow?
 

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Mort

Legend
Supporter
I think it is not time for a 5.5 or 6th ed yet. This phase hasn't ended yet. The need to know the reaction of the fandom with the future media titles, action-live productions, animation and videogames.

My opinion is the next project will be a new no-D&D d20 title. We don't know enough compatible or with the same leveling up. A d20 superheroes is a true challenge for the game designers with a conflict about power balance, coherence and gameplay. I guess we would see a future playtesting. Would do they dare to change any sacred cow?

I just checked and the 5e PHB is #9 on Amazon in bestsellers in books - not hobby or games books but overall ALL books. Considering it's almost 6 years old, that's huge!

Certainly not the time to rock that boat!
 

DEFCON 1

Legend
Supporter
It is likely true, but there is no clear evidence of him being in communication with the BG 3 team since July of 2019 that I could find. He did, however, provide them with a lot of information and communication through July 2019 when references to him disappeared, or refered to things that would have taken place early in development most likely.
Yeah, I don't know for sure either... but in the back of my brain I keep thinking I remember him having been moved over to the D&D video game side of things in the entirety... like the brand liason or something. Obviously he had that connection to Larian and BG3... but as you point out there hasn't been anything mentioned or seen about that since last summer, so maybe my memories are faulty and it was only that one connection and not an entire new job he had for all digital games? We haven't seen anything since then to confirm or refute my potential misremembering.

That's the thing about social media... it is exceedingly hard to have a presence online when you are a person of interest. Anything you post can and will be seen, even when meant to be for smaller circles or not taken seriously or not intended to be considered some sort of political comment or stance or just dumb comments from not thinking things through before posting. Any presence will have a potential response, so at some point a person might realize that it is no longer worth having that presence and they just step away altogether.
 
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lichhouse

Dreamer
Now that Ray has been formally introduced, maybe he’ll share a vision for where the line is going. I too loved Dungeoncraft from back in the idea (and still use the advice on secrets - funny how that one stuck). Welcome Ray! (How can there not be a top tier Marvel game with how popular MCU is... MSH 2020! Long live FASERIP)

Sad to hear Mearls is gone, he was sympathetic towards TSR era players and modes, and a tireless promoter of Greyhawk. Good luck out there, Mike.
 

Eyes of Nine

Everything's Fine
People have been wondering where Mike Mearls has gone for quite some time. It seems that he has not been working on the D&D tabletop RPG since some time last year, and the new head of the team and Executive Producer is Ray Winninger.

Winninger is an RPG industry veteran. Amongst other things, he was co-designer of DC Heroes and Torg, and wrote the Dungeoncraft column for Dragon Magazine. He has worked at a number of RPG companies including TSR, Mayfair Games, West End Games, and more.

View attachment 121498


Winninger is Chris Perkins' and Jeremy Crawford's boss. And in further comments, Chris Perkins says that Mike Mearls has not been part of the tabletop RPG team since some time last year.


That explains why Mearls' Twitch shows, like Happy Fun Hour, have disappeared. Although he's made a couple of retweets since, his last tweet on Twitter was February 13th, 2019. He still works at WotC on the D&D brand in some capacity, but not the tabletop RPG itself.

Ray Winninger introduces himself in the latest issue of Dragon+, WotC's online magazine. "My name is Ray Winninger and I’m the new Executive Producer in charge of the Dungeons & Dragons studio at Wizards of the Coast. In just a few months on the job, I’ve already been impressed by the skills and the passion of the designers, artists, editors, and production staff who bring you our terrific D&D products. They are a uniquely talented group, and it is an honor to work alongside them."

This is good news for D&D.
 

BenTheFerg

Explorer
Now that Ray has been formally introduced, maybe he’ll share a vision for where the line is going. I too loved Dungeoncraft from back in the idea (and still use the advice on secrets - funny how that one stuck). Welcome Ray! (How can there not be a top tier Marvel game with how popular MCU is... MSH 2020! Long live FASERIP)

Sad to hear Mearls is gone, he was sympathetic towards TSR era players and modes, and a tireless promoter of Greyhawk. Good luck out there, Mike.

Indeed. Mike Mearls has done an incredible job at pulling D&D back from the brink to the pack leader of the RPG hobby. His vision has returned me to the fold (from Pathfinder heresy) & and made D&D far more fun.

I suspect but have no insider knowledge that he is working on a secret project. I hope as others have said it is setting development. His own world. Dark Sun. Sigil and the Planes. All power to your elbow Mike. Thanks for 5e and Iron Heroes!
 

Maggan

Writer for CY_BORG, Forbidden Lands and Dragonbane
Thank you for your stewardship of D&D, Mike. Above all, 5e seems to me to be an edition that brought the fandom together, more or less, and for that, I think Mike deserves accolades, together with the people who also contributed to the game.

Looking forward to Ray's contributions.
 


gyor

Legend
Indeed. Mike Mearls has done an incredible job at pulling D&D back from the brink to the pack leader of the RPG hobby. His vision has returned me to the fold (from Pathfinder heresy) & and made D&D far more fun.

I suspect but have no insider knowledge that he is working on a secret project. I hope as others have said it is setting development. His own world. Dark Sun. Sigil and the Planes. All power to your elbow Mike. Thanks for 5e and Iron Heroes!

Honestly I think he's mechanics/lore guy for liencees between D&D/WotC and other companies like Larian Studios and Tuque Studios among others, so he is still involved with D&D, just not the TTRPG, but more stuff like CRPGs of various types. Maybe stuff like comic books too.
 


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