Wizards of the Coast President Steps Down Days Before D&D Vision Keynote

A major executive at Dungeons and Dragons owner Wizards of the Coast is stepping down after two years in the role and as D&D approaches a major promotional event.

John Hight is stepping down from his role as president of WOTC as of September 1, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Tuesday.

Hight previously served as a video game executive, helping to develop games like World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria and God of War III. He joined Wizards in 2024 to replace Cynthia Williams and to help lead strategy and development across tabletop platforms. He’s overseen the company’s extensive success in Magic: The Gathering in the last year, which played a substantial part in Hasbro’s revenue. MTG sales achieved a record annual revenue of $1.72 billion in 2025 under Hight, a 59% increase year over year.

WOTC sent the following statement to Gamesindustry.biz:

 "After two years as President of Wizards of the Coast, John Hight is transitioning from the role, effective September 1. We're deeply grateful for his leadership and the contributions he's made to our teams and our games during his tenure. John will continue to support Wizards in an advisory capacity while pursuing other creative and professional opportunities he's passionate about.

"There is no change to the strength of the Wizards business. Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons continue to perform incredibly well, consistent with our most recent earnings release, and our upcoming 2027 video game slate, including Exodus and Warlock remains on track.

"We're launching an internal and external search for John's successor and will share updates as appropriate."

Not many details are known about Hight’s departure yet, although it arrives a week after Hasbro’s Q2 2026 earnings report, where the company announced that it had lost $56 million over canceled video game projects.

Hight himself was very much focused on the digital aspects of WOTC, from D&D Beyond to the video game adaptations (the canceled project from Giant Skull, a proposed update to the D&D MMO, etc) and rarely spoke on the tabletop roleplaying space that I’m aware of.

The filing also arrives days before the D&D Vision Keynote at GenCon 2026, where the popular roleplaying game will announce new products and its vision for what comes next. The initiative has been primarily led by brand lead Dan Ayoub, while Hight has historically focused on Hasbro’s video game initiatives.

This story is still in development. Check back later for more information as it comes out.

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My Two Cents: Questions Upon Questions

The following is my own opinion and speculation.

Hight’s cut comes at a particularly odd time, since MTG has remained an essential source of income for Hasbro, and D&D is making a big initiative to get out there in front of the public more. D&D may not be a major source of revenue, but WOTC seems to be investing in it through new hires and events like D&D’s tower experience at GenCon 2026.

Was Hight’s contract ended because of video game issues, or was it something else? Who will step in to replace him? Can they maintain the momentum that MTG has had for Hasbro’s bottom line? What will it mean for both of the products?

For the time being, we will do our best to understand what’s going on and cover it as best we can going into GenCon 2026 and beyond.

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to [email protected].