Dungeons and Dragons has announced that it's shifting to a franchise model, with Hasbro's former senior VP of digital games Dan Ayoub leading the charge as the new head of D&D. Ayoub shared the news in a LinkedIn post on July 9, saying: "We shifted our structure internally and D&D moved to a full franchise model, meaning everything: books, video games, film, and TV - everything touching the franchise lives under one roof."
Ayoub has worked with D&D and Wizards of the Coast since 2022, initially as head of studios and then as senior VP of digital games. Before this, he worked at Microsoft for 11 years, predominantly as an executive producer and studio head for Halo's 343 Industries.
In his LinkedIn post, Ayoub says the new role "has my childhood self doing cartwheels", as he has apparently been playing D&D since he was 12. "As of today, I am thrilled, humbled, and somewhat freaked out to be leading the Dungeons and Dragons franchise for Wizards of the Coast."
Ayoub promises that, when it comes to this internal shift in structure, "the impact here cannot be overstated". "This is massive for D&D and will allow a strong, coordinated, and well-funded approach for the franchise, and most importantly, for us, the fans."
Not much is known about the future of D&D on TV and movie screens, but the franchise has many, many videogames in development. Space Marine 2 dev Saber Interactive is apparently working on a triple-A D&D game, while Disney Dreamlight Valley's dev is also creating a real-time survival game in D&D's primary setting, the Forgotten Realms. Demeo's creators are developing the first-ever D&D VR game, and that's just some of the confirmed titles - not including the Baldur's Gate 3 successor that Hasbro assures us is somewhere on the horizon.
For more Wizards of the Coast updates, here's this year's DnD release schedule. Or, if you'd prefer to get playing, here's all you need to know about DnD classes and DnD races. We're also always keen to chat about 5e in the Wargamer Discord.