[Updated] Chris Sims & Jennifer Clarke Wilkes Let Go From WotC

The details are unclear, but D&D editor Chris Sims has reported that he is now in need of a job, and is willing to relocate. He was hired by WotC in 2005 after working for them as a freelance editor. Part of the D&D 5E launch, he was one of the editors for the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide, and was responsible for stat block development in the Monster Manual. The reasons have not been revealed, nor is it clear whether he left or was laid off.

Whether this is an isolated thing or part of more layoffs if unclear right now. More if I hear anything! In the meantime, if you can hire an excellent writer and editor, please do!

For more on ex-WotC employees, please check my list here!

UPDATE: Jennifer Clarke Wilkes is also in the same boat. She has worked on both D&D as an editor and on Magic: the Gathering, and has been working for WotC for many years.

UPDATE 2: Chris Sims confirms here that he and Jennifer were both laid off.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I don't like bloat, but I do like to have books that I can plunder through and take bits and pieces to use in my games. I'm the kind of person that doesn't become paralyzed with fear when I see books.

We can only hope to channel your strength.

 

[kenmarable]

I think what we are seeing here is the fate 4E was trying to avoid. By Ryan Dancey's account*, Hasbro presented WotC with an ultimatum: The D&D brand must be brought up to the $50 million mark with a path toward $100M, or else we're going to cut most of the staff and "mothball" the brand. The D&D team gave it a hard try. DDI and the virtual tabletop, combined with a rules system engineered to mesh well with electronic tools, were supposed to bring the game up to Hasbro's demands by creating an MMO-style subscriber base.

(snip)

[SIZE=-2]*I hate having to lean so heavily on Ryan Dancey for these things, but he's just about the only firsthand source we've got on the internal workings of WotC.

**Silverlight, for God's sake![/SIZE]

Definitely be careful relying on Ryan Dancey for too much insight into 4e, He was gone from WotC before even 3.5 was released. (In fact, I believe he was among the 2002 layoffs - 6 years before the 4e release and DDI.) So he really has little more insight into the internal workings of WotC during 4e than the rest of us. He was internal to them years before, but even the management had significant turn over since he was laid off.


Oh, and I totally agree on Silverlight. WHY????

 

[mlund]

Oh, and I totally agree on Silverlight. WHY????

Pirates, and maybe some sort of weird enterprise software licensing deals with the mothership, I suppose.

Seriously, even hackers don't want to touch Silverlight code. Your content is safer in that medium because people would rather gouge out their eyes with a melon-bowler than look at how that sausage is made. It's like the H.P. Lovecraft take on "security through obscurity."

Marty Lund

 

[DaveDash]

Bah way too off-topic.

 

[mflayermonk]

I'm sorry to hear about that. I guess the lesson here is never, ever move off of Magic The Gathering.
I'm guessing more layoffs are coming.

 

[dd.stevenson]

Interesting that they're both editors. Seems more like an internal re-structuring thing than the hobby failing or other doom-n-gloomery. Possibly post-Edition-cycle stuff, given that one team was hit twice.

You know, I tweeted Simms some well wishes this morning, and as I was doing so a thought occurred to me.

Recent WotC releases have NOT (IMO) been very well edited. Not by any means saying that any individual is responsible--far from it--but if mearls (or the vp) decided there was a workflow-level problem with their current editing practices, it does make sense that D&D editing jobs were cut in favor of some other solution.

This is pure speculation, of course.

 

[mouselim]

Ans this is why it bothers me that people act like they know this is a layoff when they do not know that.

In decades as an attorney who dealt with employment matters, roughly half were for reasons other than a layoff.

In a decade as someone who runs a small business of 30 people, roughly half the people I've let go were for reasons other than a layoff.
.
.
.

As an attorney, you should know that corporations normally give politically correct reasons other than layoffs (e.g. restructuring) - yet it amounts up to the same for folks who were let off the payroll, a layoff.

Honestly, I get really peeved that few bother to see things as it is - business corporations main concern (and maybe sole concern) is profit - that's what they exist in the first place.

Otherwise, don't make my toes laugh...

 

[Mistwell]

As an attorney, you should know that corporations normally give politically correct reasons other than layoffs (e.g. restructuring) - yet it amounts up to the same for folks who were let off the payroll, a layoff.

If they had given ANY reason you'd have a point...but they had not. People get fired for cause you know, for instance (which it turns out did not happen here). Which was my point, I wanted to wait for confirmation from someone, of anything. We had literally no information at the time other than "suddenly not working there, no details".

Now we know however that it was a layoff.

 

[Gecko85]

At least it sounds like Chris Sims is taking it in stride. He's been a little more active on Twitter today. A few samples:

I also want to say that I love D&D and the colleagues I've worked with on it. It's hard to move on, sometimes, but it was a great time.

Meh. Corp decisions are not worth taking personally. My colleagues are awesome.

Reiterating: You guys rock. Thanks for your support. Continue to support D&D.

 

[Alphastream]

It's a good reminder that it really matters to those in the industry when we thank them. If you were a fan of what these two did, thank them! That favorite book? Find the people who made it and thank them.