Head of D&D No Longer at WotC – New VP Takes Helm

Former head of D&D Ray Winninger announced he’s no longer at Wizards of the Coast. The announcement comes not long after a new VP arrives.

Ray Winninger, former D&D lead, announced he was no longer at WotC earlier this week. Stating that he had “accomplished the ambitious goals we set” Winninger went on to say he was in the midst of much-needed rest.

The announcement, which came on Twitter, signaled what awaits in the future for Winninger:

“Sorry for the radio silence; I’m in the midst of a SORELY needed Long Rest. I have indeed left WotC, having accomplished the ambitious goals we set when I took over the D&D team.

Shepherding D&D was an honor and a privilege, but I’m looking forward to slowing down and getting back to a list of personal design projects. (Gamers, you haven’t seen the last of me!) Most of all, I look forward to following D&D as a fan again.

Proud of the team I left behind; D&D is in very good hands: @JeremyECrawford, @ChrisPerkinsDnD, @DroidsForSale, @dtovar77, Liz Schuh, Kate Irwin, Trish Yochum, @aquelajames, @FWesSchneider, @MakenzieLaneDA, @amandahamon, Emi Tanji, Bree Heiss, @doctorcomics. @justicearman

@RPGRonLundeen, @BillBenham2, Rob Hawkey, Ben Petrisor, @Dan_Dillon_1, @EytanBernstein, Adrian Ng, Janica Carter, @chrislindsay, @TrystanFalcone, @mattchucole, Bob Jordan, @christulach, Natalie Egan, Hilary Ross, Carl Sibley. Thanks for being such great adventuring companions.”

Winninger’s tenure at Dungeons & Dragons was among the more fruitful ones. After he joined WotC, the company dove deep into campaign settings, including the much-heralded return to classic settings.

At the same time, D&D grew by leaps and bounds, having the best year after the consecutive best year.

Winninger’s tabletop pedigree goes back to the early early days of roleplaying, working on adventures for the Doctor Who RPG, as well as co-designing DC Heroes and Torg.

Wizards’ new VP of Dungeons & Dragons, Dan Rawson, on the other hand, reflects the move into digital spaces WotC, and by extension D&D, are headed. Rawson previously hails from Microsoft’s Dynamics 365, where he led the establishment of a modern digital selling practice.

With D&D Beyond and an upcoming virtual tabletop, this expertise will doubtless help. But is Dungeons & Dragons positioning itself astride the line between roleplaying games and video games? And can it do so successfully?

Where do you think WotC is headed in the near future?

Author: J.R. Zambrano

Bell of Lost Souls Staff Writer and DM, J.R. covers RPGs of all stripes and on occasion eats sandwiches. You can ask him about either at [email protected]