Wizards of the Coast Cancels At Least 5 Upcoming Projects

No one saw it coming, but Hasbro Inc.’s Wizards of the Coast has shockingly decided to cancel at least five of their upcoming video game projects. 

While other video game giants are trying to take on more ambitious tasks the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop makers seem to be taking a completely opposite route. According to Bloomberg, the company seems to be on a quest to scale back its activities as soon as the new year hit. 

Although, Wizards of the Coast has been trying their level best to try to make an indent into the gaming industry. So far the results have been lukewarm at best. Many players had high expectations from the 2021 Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. But, the game ended up not living up to the expectations.

However, that is not to say that the Wizards of the Coast has not had its win. In fact, Baldur’s Gate 3 set to be released in 2023 is a dragon addition to Dungeons & Dragons and has received much enthusiasm. 

MAJOR TAKEAWAYS:

• Wizards of the Coast LLC is a subsidiary of the current Hasbro group.
• The company is best known for its role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons.
• In more recent times there has been news that the company has decided to curtail its operations.
• According to sources Wizards of the Coast has in fact benched at least 5 of its future projects.
• The company has canceled an internal project nicknamed Jabberwocky as well as two external games.

While the whole situation is still shrouded in an air of mystery, Wizards of the Coast’s spokesperson has in fact come out to dispel some rumors and speculation. 

In a statement to Bloomberg, the spokesperson had this to say, “Wizards of the Coast is still committed to using digital games.” They further elaborated stating that the company is trying to re-vamp its game portfolio so that future games can be an accurate representation of the company’s vision. 

The spokesperson further elaborated and said, “We made some changes to our long-term portfolio to focus on games which are strategically aligned with developing our existing brands and those which show promise in expanding or engaging our audience in new ways.”

Of course, with multiple games getting canceled simultaneously there was an added question about whether or not Wizards of the Coast will be letting go of the employees working on these games.

Interestingly the company has come out and said that only 15 employees may be getting laid off due to the change. However, they will be given a fair opportunity to apply for any other role in the company.

While the new development will certainly affect the future of the company, it will moreover be a massive blow to multiple independent studios that have been working with the company. These include:

• OtherSide Entertainment
• Hidden Path Entertainment

As of now, the company has canceled an internally developed game humorously referred to as Jabberwocky which is an homage to the nonsense poem written by Lewis Caroll.

Moreover, two external games that were in the early development stages have also been canceled. However, there are at least 2 other games that have also been benched.

What do you think of the whole situation? Is this the company’s way of trying to combat its 40% share price drop? Do share your thoughts in the comments below.