Summary
It has been announced thatWizards of the CoastandHasbro Gamingpresident Cynthia Williams will be stepping down at the end of the month, officially leaving her role at both companies on April 26. Williams apparently announced her resignation to Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Gaming on April 15, according to an SEC filing from Hasbro.
Williams has not revealed why she’s resigning from her role as president, nor has Hasbro or Wizards at the Coast at the time of writing, butthe SEC filingalso notes that the process to find a suitable replacement is already underway. We don’t know who is in the running to replace Williams, but Hasbro mentions that it’s looking at “both internal and external candidates,” with a temporary president set to take the role in the meantime.
Shortly after Williams' resignation was made public, Hasbro released a statement to tabletop outletDicebreakerexplaining that the company is “grateful for the contributions” she made during her time at Hasbro Gaming and Wizards of the Coast. It then goes on to say that those at the company “wish her the absolute best” in her future endeavors and that it hopes to “have a successor in place soon.”
It’s Been A Rollercoaster Of A Year For Hasbro
Williams' departure later this month may not seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it’s yet more trouble and strife for Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast. Despite having one of the most successful -and most likely profitable- games to have ever been released inBaldur’s Gate 3, Hasbro has been plagued with layoffs, with over 2,000 peoplehaving lost their jobs over the last year.
It’s difficult to see the situation improving either, without a title like Baldur’s Gate 3 to boost the company’s coffers in the next fiscal year. Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro have stated that they know people want more greatDungeons & Dragons-based video games,pointing to BG3 as proof, and Wizards hasalready been “talking to partners” about a sequel, but any developer that takes that mantle will struggle to replicate the game’s success.
Either way, it’s not a good look for Hasbro to be losing Cynthia Williams only a couple of years after she took the job - whether she resigned from her role voluntarily or not - but let’s just hope this isn’t a sign of yet more trouble later down the line.
