adminJohn Hight will step down as president of Wizards of the Coast on September 1, after two years in the role. He will remain employed by the company as an advisor, while the search for his successor begins.
Image credit: Wizards of the Coast
John Hight’s departure from Wizards of the Coast
The leadership change was disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on July 27. Hight joined Wizards of the Coast in August 2024, having previously spent nearly 13 years at Blizzard. There, he served as general manager of the Warcraft franchise.
After September 1, Hight is expected to support Wizards in an advisory capacity as he pursues other creative and professional opportunities. The company has said it will conduct both an internal and external search for a successor, with further updates to come when appropriate.
What the leadership change means for Wizards’ games
As president, Hight oversaw the Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering franchises, along with video game projects in development. Wizards has stated that its core business remains strong and that Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons continue to perform well, in line with its most recent earnings release.
The company also said its planned 2027 video game slate remains on track. That slate includes Exodus and Warlock. These projects should be distinguished from games planned for later years: Hasbro, which owns Wizards of the Coast, recently recorded a $56 million impairment charge against its video game portfolio and confirmed that several games scheduled for 2028 and beyond had been cancelled.
The filing and company statements do not indicate that Hight’s departure caused the cancellations. For readers following the projects, the 2027 slate and the games removed from the longer-term schedule are separate updates.
Other projects associated with Hight’s tenure
In a previous interview, Hight discussed the possibility of developing a new Dungeons & Dragons MMO. He said the genre could benefit from a fresh approach, rather than relying solely on traditional models associated with games such as Ultima Online and EverQuest, as well as Blizzard’s later work.
A development team previously working on EA’s cancelled Black Panther game also joined Wizards of the Coast to work on a new title. The group was led by creative director Michael de Plater, known for his work at Monolith Productions and as director of 2014’s Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Wizards has not released further details about the project.
Hight also spoke about the company’s collaboration with Stig Asmussen, director of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Asmussen’s studio, Giant Skull, had been working with Wizards on a Dungeons & Dragons action-adventure game. In May, Wizards announced that it had ended its publishing agreement with Giant Skull.
What to watch next
John Hight’s move into an advisory role marks a change in leadership, while Wizards says its 2027 releases remain on schedule. The company’s successor announcement and future updates on its game development slate will provide a clearer picture of its plans after Hight steps down.
