WotC WotC - why are we still shocked with layoffs?

[Umbran]

Yet we're still shocked when WotC\Hasbro has layoffs and bad press. Why?

Well, for one thing, consider who "we" is. The number of people playing the game, and thus potentially paying attention, has grown dramatically in the past 5+ years. That's a larger population to be offended by it all than has ever existed previously. And those people are in more public online venues than previously.

It has been years since WotC has had major layoffs at holiday time - for years before the pandemic, Hasbro was experiencing only small, 2-4% yearly losses, and one gain of about 20% in headcount. So, for a lot of folks, then, this phenomenon is new, or hadn't been heard of for nearly a decade.

They're a huge corporation, and they're acting like one.

Big, sure, but not "huge". Exxon-Mobil has a hundred-thousand employees and more. That's huge. This doesn't impact the argument much, except that WotC is still small enough that we have names and faces for individual people doing things we care about, which makes layoffs seem more personal, and engages more empathy.

 

[CellarHeroes]

Big, sure, but not "huge". Exxon-Mobil has a hundred-thousand employees and more. That's huge. This doesn't impact the argument much, except that WotC is still small enough that we have names and faces for individual people doing things we care about, which makes layoffs seem more personal, and engages more empathy.

This is what hit me most of all. It wasn't so much that it happened, but who it happened to.
I have rolled dice, had drinks, and had silly conversations with a number of those people.
It felt like running into a friend who tells you that they were let go and your only response is "But I thought things were going well..." and they say "Me too.".

 

[Scribe]

It felt like running into a friend who tells you that they were let go and your only response is "But I thought things were going well..." and they say "Me too.".

Because they are going well. Thats the part that doesnt sit right. If not for the eOne sale messing up their books, they would have executed a lay off while still making a profit, to seemingly boost the stock price.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Not shocked, just angry.

 

[payn]

Because they are going well. Thats the part that doesnt sit right. If not for the eOne sale messing up their books, they would have executed a lay off while still making a profit, to seemingly boost the stock price.

This isnt a solely D&D performance issue, its a Hasbro issue. Not a single division wasnt effected regardless of their profitability. This is a structural change to the company and folks need to stop looking specifically at D&D.

 

[delericho]

I'm not shocked by the fact of the layoffs. I'm somewhat shocked by the scale of them, and by how badly they've hit the D&D team in a year when they've (again) done exceptionally well.

 

[Scribe]

This isnt a solely D&D performance issue, its a Hasbro issue. Not a single division wasnt effected regardless of their profitability. This is a structural change to the company and folks need to stop looking specifically at D&D.

I'd have to go back to the breakdown in the other thread, but thats kind of the point.

This isnt a D&D thing, and its not even a profitability thing. Hasbro was still profitable, other than the fact they ate a loss on a sale of eOne, and folks lost their jobs to soften the blow of the stock hit.

At least thats how it looked, but then I'd have to go back and confirm.

Edit: Yep if the analysis is correct without the eOne sale marked as a lost both YTD and Q3 would have been a profit.

That's the actual issue here. Not that layoffs happened, but that they happened even during a profitable year and quarter.

 

[LordEntrails]

So, how do we support the creatives, even the ones at WotC, but not the corporations? Is it even possible?

Sure. But you have to understand supporting the market at all, has slight benefits to everyone in the market. Just like if you buy automotive gasoline from Shell, you still have a tiny positive impact on Exxon; because you help to sustain the overall market. Same with TTRPGs.

But honestly I think the good it does (supporting creatives) far outweighs any harm one might perceive being done by WotC.

So, buy direct from the creatives. Blando, Logos, and Shey all have their own web stores you can buy from. There are 3rd party publishers and tons of independent creatives. I personally don't care if they are supporting the 5E eco system, in fact I hope they are. Because I'm a proponent for the entire TTRPG market growing.

If you really want to give creative people the best chance at gainful employment, spend money of TTRPG products, including WOTC which according to many is one of the best companies to work with.

Yes, exactly!

 

[Incenjucar]

I don't think D&D really needs less content at lower quality.

 

[wicked cool]

Hey I live in the real world
Been laid off multiple times-yes Xmas stinks but in some ways it’s better than say October. Most big companies close/shave books after quarter 3 except retail. You look to improve the bottom line

Retail does the opposite for people like us. Retail hires for the Xmas push and then often they are let go shortly after the return item season ends

I’m still using a lot of products that are made by companies that fired people this year such as Google etc. the person at has to is no different than the layoffs. At the mom and op store that closed because their lease was out (so you got hired to be something at downtown store a and that closed once the lease was up and they couldn’t pay their bills) . Isn’t anyone else noticing more and more stores getting closed and nobody is filling these spots for years and when they do it’s either a 3 year store or it’s a chipotle type place

I live in the east coast of USA. I buy most of my wotc products online and at my local game store. My local Barnes and noble doesn’t stock these 3rd party publishers of RPGs as they don’t sell. My local game store specializes in games workshop type games, Pokémon, magic and d&d. They do what retailers do and they pack up almost the entire store and bring it to pax east in the hopes that it carries them through (pax east is clearly Xmas part 1 for them)
I’m not hearing great things about working for other companies that are big or small when it comes to gaming. Didn’t paizo unionize because conditions are not great? Quick search results are not great? Didn’t their ceo make a ton as well
I have a friend of a friend that works at hasbro(I think still ) and she seemed to love working there and she clearly had an upbeat personality and it sounded like a great place to work

A lot of this is in my opinion is the whole orc fiasco and yet doesn’t apple Microsoft etc do this all the time?

Why is it that the ceos of big hospitals/corps/colleges/sports teams etc make so much money? Why doesn’t blank company say sorry ceo of blank you aren’t making 1/2 a million plus etc a year plus bonus plus a parachute etc. why is a new dodger baseball player or a soccer player making just as much? They have potential or a track record for making money and in some cases you’re buying that product. You bought that yankee hat because you either enjoy the product or you want to be associated with it (Nike north face etc etc)