Hasbro announced today that Dan Ayoub, formerly the SVP of Dungeons & Dragons, has been named president of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Digital Games. He’ll lead the teams that make Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, Duel Masters and digital games like Exodus and Warlock.
Ayoub’s experience includes not only working on the D&D franchise, but serving as studio head at 343 Industries (now Halo Studios) and general manager at Certain Affinity. He’s also served as SVP of digital games within Wizards of the Coast. Ayoub himself professes a strong attachment to both D&D — which he noted during a talk at GamesBeat Summit that he’d been playing since he was young — and Magic: The Gathering.
Chris Cocks, Hasbro CEO, said in a statement, “Dan has the passion and leadership caliber to take Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Digital Games into its next chapter. He understands what our games mean to the people who play them and what it takes to build great teams and experiences. His promotion reflects one of my top priorities: developing our people.”
According to Hasbro, Ayoub is the first internal candidate to be promoted to the role, and takes the position after John Hight stepped down on September 1. Hight remained in an advisory role until the new leader was appointed.
Ayoub said in a statement, “Magic and D&D have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and the teams behind them are among the best in the world. We’ll put fans first, respect the artists and creators who make these worlds come alive, and set an ambitious course for growth across tabletop and digital. I can’t wait to get started.”