Dungeons & Dragons Is Dying—Here's What That Means for the RPG World

The Fall of Dungeons & Dragons: Why Hasbro's Exit Is a Game-Changer

Let’s not sugarcoat it—Dungeons & Dragons, the mighty juggernaut of tabletop roleplaying, is standing on a crumbling cliff edge. And this time, it’s not just a temporary dip or a weird design decision fans can rant about on Reddit. No, this feels different. This feels like… the end.

Now, I know the fandom’s always buzzing with some kind of crisis—edition wars, OGL debacles, canceled projects—but this? This is a full-blown industry quake. The kind that sends goblins scurrying and wizards packing up their spellbooks.

So let’s break it down. What the heck is going on with Dungeons & Dragons—and more importantly, what happens next?

Layoffs, Exits, and Corporate Silence

First up, the brutal truth: Hasbro has effectively ghosted D&D.

In the span of just a few months, we’ve seen an exodus of every major name that mattered to the game. Todd Kenreck—the charming, passionate face of D&D on YouTube? Gone. Laid off. The guy who made community content that actually connected with players.

Then Jess Lanzilla, the VP of the entire D&D franchise at Hasbro, dipped out completely. She only started the role last year. That’s like Gandalf abandoning the Fellowship at the Mines of Moria without even a proper “You shall not pass.”

Oh, and don’t forget Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford. These aren’t just some mid-level designers—they were the brains and blood behind Fifth Edition. The architects of what many call the best version of D&D ever. And where are they now?

Working for Critical Role. On Daggerheart, the RPG that might just take D&D’s crown.

The Sigil Catastrophe

Then there’s the Sigil Tabletop simulator.

Imagine working years on a virtual tabletop platform that’s supposed to be D&D’s future. You finally launch it... and it gets canceled on the same day. And most of the team behind it gets fired.

Hasbro isn’t pivoting. They’re pulling the plug.

We’re talking about 3% of the whole company being laid off, and 90% of the Sigil team? Gone. And even worse, CEO Chris Cocks has hinted that more layoffs are coming. It’s not just a wound—it’s a dismemberment.

What My Little Pony Taught Us About D&D's Fate

Here’s where things get weird: Dungeons & Dragons is following the same corporate pattern Hasbro used with My Little Pony.

Stay with me.

MLP was big. Then it faded. Then it rebooted. Then it faded again. It’s a rinse-and-repeat cycle where Hasbro puts IPs into a vault, then dusts them off a decade later when the nostalgia hits just right.

D&D is now heading to that same vault. Instead of pushing the franchise forward, Hasbro seems ready to shelve it until the stars (and dollars) align again. And that might be years.

No more game expansions. No big creative pushes. Just merch. Toys, shirts, Funko pops… and probably some wildly off-brand stuff you’ll regret buying at 2 a.m.

A World Without D&D?

It’s surreal even writing this, but D&D might really go quiet.

Sure, the books for 2025 will drop. Maybe some final campaigns make it out the door. But after that? It’s likely to be all silence and souvenir mugs.

But here’s the twist: this might be the best thing that could happen to tabletop RPGs.

For too long, the TTRPG scene revolved around D&D like some unspoken monopoly. But now—with the game going into deep freeze—there’s room. Glorious, creative room.

Enter: Daggerheart and the Next Chapter

Cue Daggerheart, Critical Role’s bold new venture.

It already had some buzz, but with the addition of Perkins and Crawford, this game is shaping up to be D&D 2.0 in everything but name. Fans are excited, creators are curious, and you know what? So am I.

If Critical Role can harness their passion, their audience, and the design mastery of these two RPG legends, Daggerheart could reshape the market.

Think: more open ecosystems. More modular design. More focus on what players actually want instead of what a stockholder spreadsheet says will sell better in Q4.

And it’s not just Daggerheart. Other games—Delta Green, Blades in the Dark, Mörk Borg, and dozens more—now have a chance to shine in a world where the behemoth has taken a nap.

What Comes Next?

So… is Dungeons & Dragons over?

Yeah. For now. It’s not dead-dead. But it’s gone into hibernation, Hasbro-style.

No more creative leadership. No more community engagement. Just a slow fade into brand licensing deals and nostalgia bait.

But the story’s far from over. Because every time a dragon dies, something new rises from the ashes. Right now, that looks a lot like Daggerheart. And who knows—maybe a dozen other contenders we haven’t even heard of yet.

So keep your dice ready, adventurer. Because the next age of tabletop RPGs is coming—and it looks wilder, freer, and more chaotic than anything we’ve seen before.

Stay tuned for more critical role revolutions and RPG revelations at Land of Geek Magazine!

#DungeonsAndDragons #TTRPG #CriticalRole #Daggerheart #GamingNews