Former Blizzard Exec Named New Wizards of the Coast President
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
After going almost three months without a President, Wizards of the Coast recently announced that they’ve filled the role, with former World of Warcraft executive John Hight taking the helm.
The news comes following the resignation of former president Cynthia Williams back in April 2024, who left under somewhat unusual circumstances and had led the company during a turbulent two-year period that saw both notable successes (including shepherding in the new 2024 rules update) and significant controversies (most notably, the OGL scandal).
So just who is John Hight and what does his appointment mean for the future of DnD? Below we dig into all the details.
Who is John Hight?
John Hight joins Wizards of the Coast with a substantial history in the gaming industry. Before taking the reins at WotC, Hight was an executive at Blizzard Entertainment, where he managed the Warcraft franchise and played a key role in several high-profile game releases. His experience includes overseeing titles such as Hearthstone and Diablo III: Reaper of Souls.
Hight’s tenure at Blizzard also occurred during a rocky period in which the company faced a number of legal and financial controversies, including lawsuits related to workplace harassment (although notably Hight was not involved in any of these incidents or the ongoing settlements). His background during this upheaval at Blizzard, however, may have been part of Hasbro’s decision to bring him on, given that Wizards of the Coast has grappled with its own set of controversies and is at a pivotal point as they prepare to roll out updated DnD core books, new digital tools increasing financial pressure from parent company Hasbro and its shareholders.
What Does This Mean for DnD Fans?
Hight’s appointment comes at a time when Wizards of the Coast is heavily investing in digital initiatives, including a new DnD virtual tabletop and digital monetization strategies, including microtransactions and downloadable swag. Not surprisingly, Wotc has also been actively hiring more and more executives with a video game background, with Cynthia Williams herself coming from Microsoft’s game division.
While Hight’s experience in video games could be seen as a strategic fit for these initiatives, it remains to be seen if this will translate well to the DnD brand and tabletop roleplaying, an industry which remains rooted in both the digital and physical world.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this story in the days ahead.
More D&D News Coverage
For more from the world of Wizards of the Coast, visit our D&D News page.
Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
