John Hight Named New Wizards Of The Coast President
After three months, Wizards of the Coast has announced their new company President. On April 17th, we reported that Cynthia Williams, then the President of Wizards of the Coast, was to resign nine days later. This was according to a report by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Filling her position just over three months later is John Hight. Hight was formerly the General Manager of the Warcraft franchise at Blizzard Entertainment, according to Hight's LinkedIn profile. Hight entered this position in November of 2021, only months after the California Civil Rights Department filed a civil harassment suit against Activision Blizzard. Activision Blizzard settled in December 2023 for just under $55 Million. Activision Blizzard also settled for $18 Million with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in March of 2022. All of these suits were settled under Hight's presidency, showing that Hight could, at least, handle corporate pressures.
Shoring Up Wizards' Controversies
This need for a President who can handle being in the hot seat is not off-the-cuff for Hasbro or Wizards. Williams resigned after only two years in the position. That came after Dungeons & Dragons' Open Gaming License was threatened, leading to backlash from that community. Wizards also sent the Pinkerton organization after a YouTuber who secured an early box of March of the Machine: Aftermath. Such controversies "marred" Williams' presidency, according to BoardGameWire, another gaming news site.
Former President Williams is notable in that she had never played a game of Magic: The Gathering before her corporate appointment. According to BoardGameWire, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks said this about Hight: "John's love of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, combined with his leadership in video games, will be crucial as we expand our digital offerings to deliver what our fans crave." It is unclear beyond this corporate statement whether Hight has extensively played Magic.
John Hight's Gameography
In addition to overseeing Warcraft, President Hight's game development credits include Hearthstone, Diablo III Reaper of Souls, God of War III, and Neopets: The Darkest Faerie. Hight also developed Shadow of the Colossus. Beyond Hearthstone, however, Hight's card game development credits are notably sparse.
We hope only the best for President Hight, just as we wish the best for Wizards of the Coast. Congratulations to the company for finding a new President, and congrats to Hight for finding this position!
