Despite Magic’s unprecedented success, Wizards of the Coast’s president is already stepping down

Wizards of the Coast president John Hight will be stepping down from his role as of Sept.1, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Tuesday. Hight joined the company in 2024, replacing Cynthia Williams. Previously, he worked as executive producer and general manager for the Warcraft franchise at Blizzard Entertainment.

Under Hight’s leadership, Wizards experienced unprecedented financial success. The Hasbro-owned company, which publishes popular tabletop games Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, reported its most successful fiscal year in 2025, with a 45% year-over-year revenue growth. Magic, in particular, shines as the company’s crown jewel: The trading card game achieved record annual revenues of $1.72 billion, marking a 59% increase over the prior year. Recently, the property surpassed $500 million in quarterly revenue for the first time in its history, accounting for approximately 48% of Hasbro’s quarterly revenue.

In a statement to Gamesindustry.biz, Wizards of the Coast had the following to say regarding Hight’s departure from the role:

“After two years as President of Wizards of the Coast, John Hight is transitioning from the role, effective September 1. We’re deeply grateful for his leadership and the contributions he’s made to our teams and our games during his tenure. John will continue to support Wizards in an advisory capacity while pursuing other creative and professional opportunities he’s passionate about.

There is no change to the strength of the Wizards business. Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons continue to perform incredibly well, consistent with our most recent earnings release, and our upcoming 2027 video game slate, including Exodus and Warlock remains on track.

We’re launching an internal and external search for John’s successor and will share updates as appropriate.”

The announcement is surprising, coming on the heels of Magic‘s quarterly revenue success and a few days ahead of the Dungeons & Dragons Vision Keynote at GenCon 2026, where major news on future products will be shared. There is speculation that Hight’s decision was influenced by Wizards incurring a $56 million impairment charge to its video game portfolio, due to the cancellation of several games scheduled for release in the upcoming years. Hight, who rose through the video game industry, was supposed to give an impulse to Wizards of the Coast’s digital strategy. At the time of writing, only one D&D video game is still confirmed to be in development, Warlock.

Hight will remain with Wizards of the Coast in a consultant role after Sept. 1.