Dungeons & Dragons: Sigil VTT Team Cut to 10% as Project Faces Severe Cuts

by

Summary

  • Wizards of the Coast laid off 90% of the team behind the Dungeons and Dragons virtual tabletop, Sigil, due to a reduction in the project’s scope.
  • Sigil will transition from a standalone release to a D&D Beyond feature, preventing it from reaching its full potential.
  • Disappointing flaws in Sigil include missing features, buggy combat, and limited customization.

90% of the team behind the launch of the “Sigil”, the latest virtual tabletop for “Dungeons & Dragons” by Wizards of the Coast, have been let go following a problematic release. This unfortunate incident led to a significant reduction in the size of the “Dungeons & Dragons” project, resulting in about 30 developers losing their positions on the small team.

2023 saw Dungeons and Dragons unveil Sigil, their official virtual tabletop system, seamlessly integrated with D&D Beyond. This innovative platform offers customizable characters and maps, as well as lifelike graphics powered by Unreal Engine 5 to enliven campaigns. However, the promising yet incomplete product that stealthily debuted on February 27 fell short of the “Minecraft of D&D” or “Roblox for tabletop gaming” that was promised, leaving many questioning the project’s trajectory.

It’s now clear that due to recent layoffs, the game development studio Sigil may not fully realize its potential as stated by Andy Collins, a senior writer and team leader at Sigil, on LinkedIn. In these cuts, approximately 30 developers, representing around 90% of the team, were let go by Wizards of the Coast, including Mr. Collins himself. This leaves only a small number of developers working on the project, significantly diminishing its scale and ambitions.

Dungeons and Dragons Loses 90% of the Sigil Team

Polygon posted an email from Dan Rawson, senior vice president of Dungeons & Dragons, addressed to all employees about layoffs. In essence, after conducting extensive testing for several months, it was determined that their vision for Sigil as a substantial game with its unique monetization model would not materialize. Consequently, this project will transform into a feature within D&D Beyond, managed by a limited team who will maintain Sigil and release existing products at no extra cost to the users. While players of Dungeons & Dragons may still access Sigil, it appears that the project is being kept alive only minimally.

Following multiple phases of pre-release testing, it’s been determined that the vision for Sigil to become a substantial independent game with a unique revenue model may not materialize as intended.

Fortunately, the individuals released from the project are set to receive severance packages and bonus payments as early as 2024. In addition, Rawson has confirmed that they are providing career placement services, and in certain instances, job opportunities within Wizards of the Coast for developers affected by these layoffs.

A multitude of enthusiasts are disheartened by the unsatisfactory updates regarding the game titled Sigil. Boasting stunning visuals with dynamic lighting and textures reminiscent of popular Dungeons and Dragons video games such as Baldur’s Gate 3, it has captured the imagination. Nevertheless, its shortcomings are evident: absent races and class features, glitchy combat sequences, incomplete integration with D&D Beyond, and restricted customization options for both characters and maps render Sigil cumbersome at best and unworkable at worst. It is disheartening to learn that Sigil will not meet the high hopes set for it. However, let us hope that the remaining development team can revamp it into a functional experience for those who appreciate the game.

Read More

2025-03-21 00:54