News Roundup: People on the Move at D&D, Paizo, White Wolf

Three major leadership changes at WOTC, White Wolf and Paizo are the top news stories of this week.

In This Edition

• WOTC Going ‘Full Franchise?’ New D&D VP Hired

• Former WOTC VP Steps In as Creative Director at Wh …

• Paizo Brings on Old-School WOTC Veteran to Lead Gr …

• In Other News

WOTC Going ‘Full Franchise?’ New D&D VP Hired

One of the big stories this week was the appointment of Dan Ayoub, former Senior VP of digital games at Wizards of the Coast, as the new head of D&D.

Ayoub will be replacing Jess Lanzillo (who we will address later in this issue) as head of the property, setting the vision for the brand. At the same time, he stated openly his plans to shift WOTC and D&D’s structure to focus on a “full franchise model” for D&D.

What does that mean for the company? I’ll admit that I have a lot of questions myself about Ayoub’s plan for the property. D&D is a property that has a variety of ‘franchise’ elements, from fashion to food. “We shifted our structure internally and D&D moved to a full franchise model, meaning everything: books, video games, film, and TV – everything touching the franchise lives under one roof.” On one hand, this could be similar to what World of Darkness is doing with its rebranding as White Wolf. It could also be a move away from game development and focusing on other content.

Ayoub added in a follow-up tweet that he intends to “invest in and develop” in the TTRPG, and that partnerships will be integral to the future of the franchise.

I get why a lot of people are skeptical of Ayoub’s hiring, or why it ‘sounds stupid,’ as Rascal puts it. At the same time, we need more answers from Ayoub before I feel comfortable saying if this is a good or bad shift.

Former WOTC VP Steps In as Creative Director at White Wolf Rebrand

Ayoub’s hiring timed out perfectly with World of Darkness/White Wolf’s decision to hire former D&D creative Jess Lanzillo as its new creative director.

“World of Darkness has been my creative north star since the '90s, and I've seen firsthand how these games create communities and inspire storytellers,” said Lanzillo, World of Darkness Creative Director at White Wolf, in a press release. “My focus is on supporting and amplifying what makes these worlds special—the rich lore, the player agency, the mature themes—while ensuring they reach everyone who would love them. World of Darkness is so much more than just games; it's a cultural touchstone with a passionate community and incredible untapped potential.” 

"Bringing Jess on board to shape the creative future of World of Darkness is a big win for White Wolf," said Marco Behrmann, White Wolf executive vice president. "She’s a world-class Creative Director with deep roots in developing transmedia properties and a sharp instinct for audience-first storytelling. Jess’s experience makes her the perfect fit to lead White Wolf in bold, ambitious ways. Jess is a key pillar of our expanding studio, helping drive a strong and clear creative vision from the heart of our team. Her arrival underscores Paradox’s long-term commitment to White Wolf and our goal to make World of Darkness the number one horror entertainment brand in the world."

White Wolf’s decision to draw on WOTC’s staff seems to reflect a desire to help make games like Vampire the Masquerade and other WoD properties more mainstream. Lanzillo worked at Wizards of the Coast for about eight years, and held the role of VP of franchise and product for Dungeons and Dragons between Feb. 2024 and July 2025, which means she helped oversee the launch of 2024 D&D. The state of that product’s success (which is debated by many a TTRPG pundit) is somewhat subjective due to not having any meaningful metrics yet.

I do find it fascinating that Lanzillo and Ayoub’s hiring paralleled each other, but I suspect that was either a marketing or coincidental decision.

Paizo Brings on Old-School WOTC Veteran to Lead Growth

The third and final big hire this week was Paizo’s decision to hire Christian Moore as its chief growth officer. Moore’s most recent role was managing director at the equity-focused logistics and transportation company Exemplar Holdings, where he helped grow the company’s portfolio by 19%. He does have a history in gaming, however. Moore worked as a game designer at Last Unicorn Games between 1994 and 2001, where he assisted in designing Aria: Canticle of the Monomyth. Last Unicorn was eventually purchased by WOTC in 2000, and became WOTC’s d20 Games Creative Director and VP of Product Development at Decipher.

“Christian blends lifelong tabletop DNA with deep insights for growing brands like ours,” said Jim Butler, CEO of Paizo Inc. “His ability to unite creative vision with analytical discipline will help us reach new players and unlock fresh opportunities for Pathfinder, Starfinder, and worlds yet to come.”

“Paizo’s commitment to community and creativity resonates deeply with me,” Moore added. “I’m excited to pair the team’s storytelling genius with insight-led growth strategies and analytics as we continue to delight current fans while welcoming the next generation of adventurers.”

Moore’s a veteran of the industry, so the hiring does make sense. The presence of a ‘chief growth officer’ may cause some to pause, however. It’s the sort of role I expect to see at a major corporation like Intel or Kaseya, not Paizo. That makes me so deeply curious about how Pathfinder will seek to grow, especially since it is (arguably) among the most popular competitors to D&D.

In Other News

The Ennie nominees are now open for public voting. Time to express what games you think deserve the big wins. Expect to hear about the results at GenCon 2025.

Dragon Delves is officially out for everyone! It’s now available in physical form and on VTTs. As many noted, the book is a lot smaller than past volumes in D&D but offers ten new adventures built around the dragons of lore.

Green Ronin Publishing (The Expanse, Mutants and Masterminds) is one of the TTRPG publishers affected by Diamond Comic Distributors, which is selling the publisher’s books without providing any of the money to Green Ronin Publishing. That’s why they’re raising legal funds in a crowdfunding campaign. “The funds raised through this campaign will be used directly to cover the escalating legal fees associated with fighting Diamond's claim in bankruptcy court,” the company said in its GoFundMe page. “This includes attorney retainers, court filing fees, and the costs of pursuing every possible avenue to recover our inventory and protect Green Ronin's assets.”

Modiphius has put the Star Trek Adventures: Second Edition Exploration Guide up for preorder. This new book will add two new career paths, 10 new career events, 21 new character talents, and five new options for awards and honors as well as new options for building new worlds and sectors for storytelling.

Rivers of London: In Liberty’s Shadow - A Guide to Case Files in the USA, the latest expansion for the mystery-focused Rivers of London TTRPG, is out now! This is a BRP-based game about the London Metropolitan Police Service’s special magic branch.

If you want to get into the business side of Critical Role, YouTube sat down with the actual play’s COO and SVP of business development to talk about the company’s plans in the coming months.

Itch.io got hit by a DDOS attack earlier this week, which took it down for several hours.

What I Covered

This week was a bit light on my end due to vacation, so only one big story from TTRPG Insider.

We talked with the team at Hatchling Games about the third entry in its ASL/BSL trilogy and how it helps teach teens and adults the language.

That’s all for this week! Want to send me a tip? Send a press release? Tell me I’m doing something bad? Email me at [email protected].

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