WotC’s ‘Sigil’ Virtual Tabletop Aspirations Come To An End
According to an internal email accompanying the layoff of the Sigil team, WotC’s virtual tabletop will fold into D&D Beyond and stop there.
WotC’s 3D virtual tabletop platform, Sigil, was reportedly one of their big ambitions. A part of the Wizards of the Coast digital empire, Sigil was going to be a new home for D&D Beyond users, as players would unlock modules in Sigil, create their own maps and levels to sell on a marketplace, to say nothing of digital miniatures. But those ambitions seem to be at an end.
In the wake of the layoff of 30 or so members of the Sigil team, an internal email has surfaced explaining that it wasn’t just the team that was being let go. WotC’s ambitions for its platform to be a “larger, standalone game with a distinct monetization path” weren’t going to be met, and as a result, development efforts all but ceased.
The new home for the 3D platform will be as a D&D Beyond feature with a much smaller end goal: releasing already developed products and maintaining Sigil.
WotC Closes the Door on Sigil’s Grand Ambitions
Initially reported by Rascal news, who received an internal email from an anonymous employee (and later confirmed by Andy Collins, whose linkedin post revealed that most of the team were let go), WotC had been long struggling with the development of Sigil. The internal email, which Rascal confirmed was sent by Dan Rawson, senior vice president of D&D and Hasbro Direct, makes it abundantly clear.
“Dear Team, I want to share an important update regarding Sigil. After several months of alpha testing, we’ve concluded that our aspirations for Sigil as a larger, standalone game with a distinct monetization path will not be realized. As such, we cannot maintain a large development effort and most of the Sigil team will be separated from the company this week.
We are, however, proud of what the Sigil team has developed and want to make sure that fans and players on DDB can use it. To that end, we will transition Sigil to a DDB feature. We will maintain a small team to sustain Sigil and release products already developed at no additional cost to users. To those moving on as a result of this decision, we will provide robust support, including severance packages, 2024 bonus, career placement services, and internal opportunities where possible.
I want to take a moment to praise the entire Sigil team for their incredible work to deliver this product to our community. One of the things I’m most proud of here at D&D is our strong sense of purpose. We aim to honor our current players while ensuring D&D continues to build connections and bring joy to future generations. And that’s what the Sigil team was doing. Although we haven’t fully realized our vision for Sigil to scale, the team should be proud of their achievements.”
WotC, via Rascal
If you’d like to learn more about the internal strife accompanying Sigil’s rocky launch on D&D Beyond, Rascal has a much deeper dive that outlines how, according to a former WotC employee, “Sigil’s sudden death is more of a murder.”
Look for more updates on the story as it develops.
