Wizards reportedly lays off more D&D staff, this time from the Sigil VTT team

Sigil, the Unreal Engine 5-powered virtual tabletop built to support the latest version of Dungeons & Dragons, arrived in a less-than-complete state just a few weeks ago. On Tuesday, a team member went to LinkedIn to report that 90% of the Wizards of the Coast staff who supported it have allegedly been laid off. That account was reportedly corroborated by an anonymous source speaking with Rascal in a story published Wednesday morning. Polygon has reached out to Wizards of the Coast for comment.

An online, virtual playspace has long been a high-level goal of Wizards leadership, and the Sigil platform was seen as the highest expression of that vision. The PC-based, graphically sophisticated tool is now part of the D&D Beyond subscription model, and is meant to replicate the experience of playing at a table with elaborate miniatures, terrain, lighting, and more. But the experience that launched quietly on the last day of February lacks the kind of depth and precision to make Dungeon Master’s lives easier. In our review, we even questioned whether the team seemed inclined to support it further past its launch. Now that future is very much in question.

In a post Tuesday evening on LinkedIn, senior writer, game designer, and team leader Andy Collins made the announcement of the layoffs to the public.

“Appximately 30 talented developers (90% of the team) were laid off from the Sigil […][ team at Wizards of the Coast, including yours truly.

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to continue working toward the full experience that we imagined, but happy for the opportunity to work on an intriguing challenge with so many smart and dedicated folks.”