Wizards of the Coast, the company behind Dungeons & Dragons, has recently decided to discontinue their newly launched Sigil virtual tabletop (VTT) platform and lay off the majority of its development team. Sigil, which was built using Unreal Engine 5 and aimed to integrate with the D&D Beyond platform, offered a 3D environment for playing D&D. Despite its innovative features, the platform was released with little celebration and received mixed reviews, particularly criticizing its user experience and limited in-game functionality.
Following the launch, Wizards of the Coast concluded that Sigil would not achieve its envisioned standalone success or profitability. Consequently, the company announced they would no longer support Sigil as a separate entity but would integrate it as a feature within D&D Beyond. Nearly 90% of the Sigil development staff, approximately 30 people, have been laid off. These team members will receive severance packages, bonuses for 2024, career placement support, and opportunities for other positions within the company where possible.
This move marks another round of layoffs at Wizards of the Coast, reminiscent of previous cuts in December 2023, raising concerns about the company’s direction and stability among the D&D community. Despite downsizing, Wizards of the Coast plans to maintain a small team to handle the integration and support of the Sigil features on D&D Beyond, ensuring that existing developments are not wasted and can still benefit users at no extra cost.
This scenario represents a significant shift for Wizards of the Coast, from their original ambitions for Sigil as a robust, monetized VTT to a supplementary feature in an existing platform, reflecting broader challenges in product development and market adaptation within the gaming industry.