Wizards of the Coast Is Sunsetting Sigil's Active Development

EN World has received confirmation that Wizards of the Coast is planning to transition Sigil, its just-released VTT, to a D&D Beyond feature with no large future development planned. Earlier this week, Wizards of the Coast laid off approximately 30 staff members tied to the development of Sigil, a new D&D-focused VTT system. Ahead of the layoff, Dan Rawson, senior vice president of Dungeons & Dragons, sent out an internal email confirming that the project was essentially being shuttered. Rascal was the first to report the news and EN World was able to independently confirm the accuracy of their report.

The email can be read below:

Dear Team, I want to share an important update regarding Sigil. After several months of alpha testing, we’ve concluded that our aspirations for Sigil as a larger, standalone game with a distinct monetization path will not be realized. As such, we cannot maintain a large development effort and most of the Sigil team will be separated from the company this week. We are, however, proud of what the Sigil team has developed and want to make sure that fans and players on DDB can use it. To that end, we will transition Sigil to a DDB feature. We will maintain a small team to sustain Sigil and release products already developed at no additional cost to users. To those moving on as a result of this decision, we will provide robust support, including severance packages, 2024 bonus, career placement services, and internal opportunities where possible.

I want to take a moment to praise the entire Sigil team for their incredible work to deliver this product to our community. One of the things I’m most proud of here at D&D is our strong sense of purpose. We aim to honor our current players while ensuring D&D continues to build connections and bring joy to future generations. And that’s what the Sigil team was doing. Although we haven’t fully realized our vision for Sigil to scale, the team should be proud of their achievements.”

A full breakdown of Sigil's tumultous development can be found here. Rascal has several additional details about recent events that led to Sigil's early demise.

 

[michaeljpastor]

Dear Team, I want to share an important update regarding Sigil. After several months of alpha testing, we’ve concluded that our aspirations for Sigil as a larger, standalone game with a distinct monetization path will not be realized. As such, we cannot maintain a large development effort and most of the Sigil team will be separated from the company this week. We are, however, proud of what the Sigil team has developed and want to make sure that fans and players on DDB can use it. To that end, we will transition Sigil to a DDB feature. We will maintain a small team to sustain Sigil and release products already developed at no additional cost to users. To those moving on as a result of this decision, we will provide robust support, including severance packages, 2024 bonus, career placement services, and internal opportunities where possible.

Emphasis above mine - it's not that Project Sigil was a failure - they just concluded (correctly, IMHO) that it's not a money maker unto itself. Real Estate and clothes and furniture as a money making enterprise when it's essentially infinitely available just doesn't work.

I personally don't think it should have ever been its own money maker - I saw it as an incentive to spend money on DDB proper. Attract new people with a shiny new toy, and if they bite on the rest of it, great!

I've said elsewhere, I think if it was just a large VR chat room with taverns to meet new players and LFG postings on a virtual bulletin board, and cosplay contests for your avatar, and PvP arenas to practice your moves, people would eat it up. But VR as a business model is a tough sell - it's like trying to sell "Internet" - @Home isn't around as a company anymore. Neither is SecondLife the second coming of commerce on the internet.

 

[mamba]

Emphasis above mine - it's not that Project Sigil was a failure - they just concluded (correctly, IMHO) that it's not a money maker unto itself.

pouring millions into something that is then determined has no chance of generating income, is a failure. They spent more on Sigil than on the 2024 core books and get nothing for it.

Rather than throwing it away, they tied it to DDB so there is at least a chance of it somehow making more than $0. That this cannot be measured might actually be seen as a positive at this point

 

[michaeljpastor]

pouring millions into something that is then determined has no chance of generating income, is a failure. They spent more on Sigil than on the 2024 core books and get nothing for it.

Rather than throwing it away, they tied it to DDB so there is at least a chance of it somehow making more than $0. That this cannot be measured might actually be seen as a positive at this point

I don't think the product is a failure. I think the business model was. That's all.

 

[michaeljpastor]

It's a great idea. Which is why they keep going back to the well. Maybe someday someone will figure out how to make it work.

They should open it up for third party to build modules and mods. Someone out there would do the work to build Castle Ravenloft in it.

I neglected to mention worldbuilding for others to play in in my other post when I talked about options for the future. I had mentioned it before on another thread. I envy people who have the perceptive skills to render in 3d, and I happily consume their efforts. Would I pay for it? Probably not - I spend enough on Patreon memberships as it is on my fixed income.

 

[mamba]

I don't think the product is a failure. I think the business model was. That's all.

if the product will never break even, then the product was a failure

 

[Morrus]

I don't think the product is a failure. I think the business model was. That's all.

This is just semantics.

 

[EthanSental]

Got some free minis via email for Sigil. More in April are coming too.

 

[Wolfpack48]

They might have been better off buying one of the other VTTs or contracting out a dedicated team from that VTT to support D&D and Beyond subscribers.

 

[michaeljpastor]

if the product will never break even, then the product was a failure

I don't consider the business model of a product to be a part of the product.

 

[Staffan]

I don't consider the business model of a product to be a part of the product.

It might not be from the perspective of the customer, but it definitely is from the perspective of the seller.