Hasbro Cancels Dungeons & Dragons’ Exciting Virtual Tabletop: What This Means for Fans

Hasbro’s Sigil 3D virtual tabletop tool faced a rocky launch as an unfinished product during its early public playtest. Reports now indicate that the project is being shut down and integrated into the existing D&D Beyond virtual tabletop system called Maps.

According to Rascal News, Wizards of the Coast notified employees that Sigil will transform into a DDB feature. They plan to release some additional content for free, but most of the Sigil team, about 30 employees, will be let go this week.

In an internal message, the studio noted, “After several months of alpha testing, we’ve concluded that our aspirations for Sigil as a larger, standalone game…will not be realized.” Although development didn’t meet their expectations, the team was encouraged to take pride in their work. The layoffs were confirmed by a LinkedIn post from Sigil’s design lead, Andy Collins, indicating that around 90% of the development team was affected.

Wizards of the Coast introduced Project Sigil in the summer of 2024, showcasing a rich 3D virtual tabletop experience built using Unreal Engine 5. Players were excited about creating customizable maps and accessing high-quality D&D character models. However, the actual playtest revealed numerous bugs and limited features, far from the grand vision the company promised.

Reports suggest that a lack of direction hampered the development of Sigil. Conflicts arose between Hasbro’s upper management, who wanted to turn Sigil into a standalone video game, and the development team. Tensions also existed between Sigil developers and the D&D Beyond team, as access to essential data was reportedly denied.

Now, a smaller group of remaining staff will collaborate with the D&D Beyond team to incorporate what remains of Sigil’s features into the existing platform. The challenges faced by Sigil highlight the importance of clear vision and communication within game development. As both players and developers adapt, it’s a reminder of the complexities and unpredictability of creating digital gaming spaces.

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