WotC WotC Cancels 5 Video Games

While D&D itself seems to be still growing rapidly nearly 10 years after the launch of 5th Edition, WotC has recently scaled back its video game plans, costing up to 15 people their jobs, although they may be able to relocate within the company. WotC spoke to Bloomberg and told the site that they were "still committed to using digital games" and that the change in plans was designed to focus on "games which are strategically aligned with developing our existing brands and those which show promise in expanding or engaging our audience in new ways."

Studios working on games for WotC include Otherside Entertainment and Hidden Path Entertainment. WotC owns 6 video game studios in various cities according to CEO Cynthia Williams in an interview with GeekWire.

We’ve announced six different studios that are first-party and owned. There’s Archetype in Austin that’s working on a sci-fi game that we’re really excited about. It’s a new IP.

You’ve got Atomic Arcade in Raleigh-Durham, that’s working on a very mature G.I. Joe game, and then, Invoke is working on a D&D game. The key piece I’d tell you is that we have been really fortunate to hire some amazing industry veterans, who have a passion for the brands and games that they’re building.

The Bloomberg article also mentions an internal cancelled project code-named 'Jabberwocky', but does not say what that was.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

This link should be to a non-paywalled version of the article:

Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast Cancels Video Game Projects - BNN Bloomberg

Hasbro Inc.’s Wizards of the Coast, best known for the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop games, has cancelled at least five video game projects as it scales back its ambitions in the industry.

www.bnnbloomberg.ca

Five videogames being cancelled, when they have six studios, might mean all but one of the studios had the game they were currently working on cancelled. If so, I'm praying the one that didn't was Archetype Entertainment's sci-fi CRPG, but given their failure to up the number of people working on it, I suspect that it's one of the ones that got the chop.

From the article, they're just massively scaling back their video game approach, which is interesting, given mere months or even weeks ago it was seen as a priority.

Also interesting they're aiming for only 15 people to lose their jobs entirely, by letting people change roles. One wonders if this ties in with the 350 people they're getting to work on the 3D VTT.

 

[Scribe]

Oof.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Yeah it's not great. Together with their troubles with MtG (still making a lot of money, but also a lot of people somewhat annoyed), getting downgraded by BoA, and selling eOne despite it apparently being important to getting D&D:HAT made, and falling toy product sales, it looks like D&D maybe Hasbro's shining star here. Which puts a lot of pressure on D&D to make them a lot of money. It is particularly surprising given a while back they implied the only way they'd make big money longer-term was through videogames. That said another source suggested Archetype Entertainment might indeed be safe, so there is that.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

That is truly bizarre news. Seemingly a 180 from just a few months ago, with no clear reason to make such a change in focus.

EDIT: A 180 from last month in fact.

 

[JEB]

That is truly bizarre news. Seemingly a 180 from just a few months ago, with no clear reason to make such a change in focus.

EDIT: A 180 from last month in fact.

I wonder if their fourth-quarter financials aren't looking so hot.

 

[mamba]

Also interesting they're aiming for only 15 people to lose their jobs entirely, by letting people change roles. One wonders if this ties in with the 350 people they're getting to work on the 3D VTT.

this seems to have a lot to do with the fact that at least some of the projects they cancelled were outsourced to independent studios

"Fewer than 15 people at Wizards of the Coast will lose their jobs due to the shift and will be given a chance to apply to new roles within the company, the spokesman said.

But the reorganization will land hard for several independent studios such as Boston-based Otherside Entertainment and Bellevue, Washington-based Hidden Path Entertainment, both of which were working on games for Wizards of the Coast."

 

[Ruin Explorer]

this seems to have a lot to do with the fact that at least some of the projects they cancelled were outsourced to independent studios

"Fewer than 15 people at Wizards of the Coast will lose their jobs due to the shift and will be given a chance to apply to new roles within the company, the spokesman said.

But the reorganization will land hard for several independent studios such as Boston-based Otherside Entertainment and Bellevue, Washington-based Hidden Path Entertainment, both of which were working on games for Wizards of the Coast."

Good point.

Otherside are Warren Spector's guys (one of the first names I remember from a game's credits, back in Worlds of Ultima: Savage Empire which I played in like 1991!), and Hidden Path are the Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Defense Grid people. Both didn't seem to be developing any games but their D&D games.

 

[Umbran]

From the article, they're just massively scaling back their video game approach, which is interesting, given mere months or even weeks ago it was seen as a priority.

So, if you want to make big money in videogames, quantity may not beat quality. If the cancelled games were some combination of behind on schedule, over on budget, or not seeming like they'd be good, cancelling them and putting folks on other projects may make a lot of sense.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Good point.

Otherside are Warren Spector's guys (one of the first names I remember from a game's credits, back in Worlds of Ultima: Savage Empire which I played in like 1991!), and Hidden Path are the Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Defense Grid people. Both didn't seem to be developing any games but their D&D games.

I loved Savage Empire! One of my all-time favorites. Martian Dreams was pretty good too.

 

[Micah Sweet]

So, if you want to make big money in videogames, quantity may not beat quality. If the cancelled games were some combination of behind on schedule, over on budget, or not seeming like they'd be good, cancelling them and putting folks on other projects may make a lot of sense.

Sure, but 5 out of 6 falling to those issues is pretty rough.

 

[Deset Gled]

Also interesting they're aiming for only 15 people to lose their jobs entirely, by letting people change roles. One wonders if this ties in with the 350 people they're getting to work on the 3D VTT.

I don't know how many people they're keeping, but losing only 15 people sounds like it could be a surprisingly positive sign, IMNSHO. Well, maybe not really positive, but at least not as negative as some may think. Assuming they're keeping a good number of people, that may just be restructuring. "Restructuring" in the real sense, as opposed to all the times corporations use the term "restructuring" to mean "we're firing 80% of the division".

 

[Jaeger]

this seems to have a lot to do with the fact that at least some of the projects they cancelled were outsourced to independent studios

Hasbro/WotC are just trimming the fat imho.

In the investor call Cocks said that on the hasbro side they were trimming everything down to just 8 profitable core brands, and focusing on them.

Letting go of e-one and trimming the video game side just seem to be part of that. They don't really need their own movie studio anymore now that they seemingly have sorted out the rights for D&D films, and have gotten one made. They can outsource that going forward using the connections they made doing Honor among thieves.

More of the same for the videogames side.

They have spent tens of millions acquiring these studios - they need to start paying off at some point. Hasbro/WotC is just trimming down and focusing on high percentage money makers.

Come 2023-2024 WotC is going to unload a lot of digital, film, and tv content for D&D.

And they really need it all to stick the landing and make money.

 

[Umbran]

Sure, but 5 out of 6 falling to those issues is pretty rough.

Software projects dying is rough, but it also happens a lot. Good software is hard to do.

 

[FrogReaver]

My take. More limited cashflow than expected means there are going to be cuts. On the bright side, the most likely games to be cut would be the ones that have been in development the least. Games are usually expensive to make so it makes sense they would have been one of the first things cut.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Lots of things depend on the movie I would say. If the movie does well things will probably expand, if it does not they will probably shrink.

 

[Zardnaar]

I don't think they had much idea on how to make a game. They throw around buzzwords like AAA+ titles but that's usually applied to games that are you know actually successful.

They bought a heap of no name studios with minimal product or reputation.

I've been playing Assassin's Creed. Ubisoft has 7 studios working on a single game each one is north of 100 million.

I suspect it's a few tens of millions of dollars that will end up sprayed against a wall. You can make cheap games but you normally need passion and vision from a dedicated group/creator to do it.

 

[DarkCrisis]

There always the Baldurs Gate, ivewind Dales and Plansescape games…

Not to mention the gold box games.

 

[Mistwell]

I assume it's because they are focused on making AAA games now and these were more middling projects?

 

[Scribe]

There always the Baldurs Gate, ivewind Dales and Plansescape games…

Not to mention the gold box games.

And the closest thing to those glory days is....

A Pathfinder game!