Cynthia Williams, President of Magic the Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast, has stepped down from her position as revealed in recent SEC findings, as reported on ComicBook.com. Hasbro is conducting a process to identify her successor, “looking at both internal and external candidates.”
Williams joined Wizards of the Coast in 2022 after serving at Microsoft as their General Manager and Vice President of the Gaming Ecosystem Commercial Team. Williams also worked for Amazon as part of their e-commerce direct-to-consumer business. She replaced Chris Cocks in the role, who went on to become the overall CEO of Hasbro. Her hiring was seen by many as a sign of Wizards commitment to digital gaming, reflected in their more aggressive video game presence, the full acquisition of D&D Beyond, and the start of development on their own first party Virtual Tabletop.
Under Williams’s tenure, Wizards became the most profitable part of Hasbro’s portfolio thanks to the success of the both of their core properties as well as successful licensing arrangements such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Magic‘s Universes Beyond sets, bringing in over $1 billion in revenue for the company. Williams tenure was not without controversy either, as it was under her watch that the OGL scandal took place as well as the use of Pinkertons to retrieve mistakenly sent Magic the Gathering cards. She also infamously told an investor seminar that D&D was “undermonetised” despite the game having “never been more popular”.
In a statement to ComicBook.com, Hasbro stated: “We’re excited for Cynthia to take the next step in her career and grateful for the contributions she has made in her more than two years at Wizards and Hasbro. We wish her the absolute best in her next endeavor. “
“We have started the search for our next President of Wizards of the Coast and hope to have a successor in place soon.”
Image via Wizards of the Coast
Have strong thoughts about this piece you need to share? Or maybe there’s something else on your mind you’re wanting to talk about with fellow Fandomentals? Head on over to our Community server to join in the conversation!
