Wizards Of The Coast Lays Off Thirty Members Of Their Project Sigil D&D Virtual Tabletop Team

More bad signs are coming from Wizards of the Coast as we’ve learned Dungeons & Dragons has cut its Project Sigil virtue tabletop gaming program, laying off thirty developers.

Virtual tabletop gaming has been growing for some time; first popularized by the website/app Roll 20, Wizards of the Coast decided to get in on it by making their own VTT system where they could control it and sell digital content.

Many critics of the 2024 edition of Dungeons & Dragons say that the current rule set was created specifically with VTT ports in mind, and that accounts for a lot of the stripping away of the classic D&D feel to make it more algorithm-friendly.

Recent sales data based on the USA Today charts also show that this new edition is failing to perform among D&D players. This comes after a year of controversy where Wizards of the Coast intentionally pushed a diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda on gamers, causing a number of players to tune out from the hobby entirely.

Now, it appears as if D&D is giving up on having a virtual tabletop edition. First reported by YouTuber Diversity & Dragons, the company is apparently shutting down their Project Sigil VTT and laying off a large portion of its employees.

Diversity & Dragons says in the video that they’re leaving a skeleton crew still in the department to completely wind it down but that the VTT is, for all intents and purposes, canceled.

His news was confirmed today as Senior Writer, Game Designer, and Team Lead Andy Collins posted, “ Today, approximately 30 talented developers (90% of the team) were laid off from the Sigil (virtual tabletop) team at Wizards of the Coast, including yours truly.”

He continued, “I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to continue working toward the full experience that we imagined, but happy for the opportunity to work on an intriguing challenge with so many smart and dedicated folks.”

“I wish my former colleagues success in their future endeavors. I’ll also be pulling for the crew left behind who’ll do their best to keep improving and iterating the experience we shipped last month.”

It appears to be another bad sign for Dungeons & Dragons and WotC tabletop after Hasbro’s financials revealed that most of the department is being carried by digital licensing and not their actual tabletop products from D&D and Magic: The Gathering.

Diversity & Dragons urged fans not to celebrate this as a win, however, stating that many of the people in this department were not the woke weirdos responsible for this iteration of Dungeons & Dragons and that there were a lot of good, normal people who lost their jobs.

What do you think of Wizards of the Coast shutting down Project Vigil VTT? Leave a comment and let us know.

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