Dungeons and Dragons owner Hasbro has appointed Dan Rawson to a newly created post of Senior Vice President, to help grow the online side of the business. Formerly COO of Dynamics 365, Microsoft’s suite of business applications, Rawson has led e-commerce companies in the past, including a stint at Amazon – experience which lends itself well to Wizards of the Coast’s current digital-first trajectory.
“We couldn’t be bringing on Dan at a better time,” Wizards president Cynthia Williams said, in a statement on the appointment. “With the acquisition of D&D Beyond earlier this year, the digital capabilities and opportunities for Dungeons & Dragons are accelerating faster than ever.”
Wizards of the Coast bought D&D Beyond, the (now official) online toolset for Dungeons and Dragons, in April 2022. The new DnD edition, currently titled One D&D, also leans hard in a digital direction, promising new tools for the D&D Beyond platform, as well as an official virtual tabletop for online D&D games. It has some of us worried D&D may be headed for a Netflix-style subscription model.
Hasbro’s announcement says that Rawson is an “Amazon veteran” and also a “US marine veteran”. Two very different kinds of veteran contained within one man.
“Leading D&D is the realisation of a childhood dream,” Rawson says. He adds that he grew up with the game, and now plays it with his own children.
The news of Rawson’s hiring came on Tuesday, October 4. This was also Hasbro’s Investor Day 2022, where the company discussed its entire brand portfolio, including D&D and Magic: The Gathering, in a multi-hour stream.
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