by Dungeons & Dragons VP Jess Lanzillo has become the latest high-profile team member to call it a day at Wizards of the Coast. Lanzillo spent years working on Magic: The Gathering before moving over to the role of VP of Franchise and Product for Dungeons & Dragons.
When she first joined WotC, Lanzillo oversaw the narrative and art direction of Magic: The Gathering card sets, but rapid promotions soon followed. After four years, she became Vice President of Creative for Magic: The Gathering and then became Chief of Staff just a year later.
In a statement on her LinkedIn, Lanzillo said the following: “I’ve been ridiculously fortunate for these eight years, and now I’m lucky enough to, yet again, get to choose my own plot twist. The best part about having super-specific creative obsessions is that occasionally, the universe decides to reward you for them. More soon!”
When it comes to trying to figure out where Lanzillo might be going, it is hard to look past the fact that Critical Role just announced that former Dungeons & Dragons mainstays Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford have just joined Darrington Press.
There is no indication that Lanzillo might be joining them, but it certainly wouldn’t be a shock at this point, as Critical Role seems to be making a concerted effort to take a bite out of a Dungeons & Dragons business that has gone from riding the highs of a Stranger Things and Covid-19 lockdown powered boom to suddenly failing to inspire fans with its new version.
I’m eager to see where Lanzillo ends up and what it means for an RPG scene that appears to be slowly opening up to interesting new possibilities for creatives and writers alike.
