Dan Ayoub: D&D Moves Toward 'New Dawn' Through Trust, Third Party Content

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The recently appointed head of Dungeons and Dragons presented his vision for the popular TTRPG as a “new dawn” that will focus on building trust and relationships with players in their upcoming initiatives.

“I have the advantage of coming in and being the new person, and I get to look back and I can say that we've made some moves, but we made some mistakes as a franchise over the last few years, and now I think it's time for us to make something better,” Wizards of the Coast SVP and Head of Dungeons and Dragons told the press and influencers over Zoom at a press event. “I see this as a new dawn for Dungeons and Dragons, not a reboot, not an addition, not a reskin but a new direction that puts the focus back, frankly, where it always should have been; on the players, the DMS and the stories, the stories we tell together.”

Ayoub hopes to “recenter the heart” of D&D as part of his vision for the brand.

Part of that push for trust included providing tools for creators as well as getting fan input on the company’s future.

The D&D Standardized Rule Document, aka SRD, will continue to be updated through errata in hopes of providing creators with new tools to incorporate into their game.

Ayoub also announced that Wizards was launching “The Table,” a rotating advisory group that was made up of creators, publishers, educators and fans. This group will “help [D&D] to shape future tools, policies and content creation in a real ongoing way.” While this group’s structure has yet to be announced, the goal is to “build a lasting collaboration with the people who make D&D.”

All of this is part of an effort to build D&D’s fan trust again.

“Trust is earned. Trust isn't asked for,” Ayoub admitted. “And I realize that I'm asking you today for your trust, and you're probably sitting there pretty skeptical that some of the things you just heard. What you're going to see from us is consistent action in this direction. This is not a one and done. This is going to be a series of engagements with you, the players and the community. Over time, we've stumbled as a franchise, and I like to think we've learned from it. We're probably going to stumble again, but we're going to learn from our mistakes, and we’re not going to do them again.”

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D&D Leans Into Third-Party Content

Ayoub also plans to do more to promote third-party creators through D&D’s prominent channels like D&D Beyond. “If you're building something amazing, I want the world to see it,” Ayoub emphasized. “You'll see this thinking start to activate across the entire franchise. I saw a lot of questions about what this franchise model I described will be about, and some even thought it was going to disempower creators. It's entirely the opposite. I want to pour gasoline on all the work you all are doing. And this is just another way we're going to be doing that.”

This intent was clear in WOTC’s commitment, who hosted several of the third-party creators from D&D Beyond at the event.

This included WOTC’s new partnership with Galapagos Jogos, a publisher in Brazil who will bring the popular TTRPG to the region.

“I want D&D to be a space where anyone with a great idea for a character, a setting, a monster or a tool, has a chance to thrive,” Ayoub ended his address on.

Ayoub’s remarks arrive after he announced his new role on LinkedIn on July 9, where he emphasized his commitment to turning D&D into a “full franchise model.” That phrase drew scrutiny from some reporters and fans, who were uncertain about what it exactly meant.

The new executive’s address arrives a week after Hasbro’s Q2 2025 report, where D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast announced that it had an outstanding success from the release of Magic the Gathering’s Final Fantasy expansion. It’s unclear what role D&D played in the company’s financial success.

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