Hasbro Taps Dungeons & Dragons Chief Dan Ayoub To Run Wizards Of The Coast, A First For An Insider
Ayoub will lead Magic: The Gathering, D&D and Hasbro's digital games starting November 2, after a search of dozens of candidates.
Hasbro, the games and toy company behind Monopoly, Play-Doh and Transformers, named Dan Ayoub president of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Digital Games on Tuesday, effective November 2. Ayoub, who most recently ran Dungeons & Dragons as a senior vice president, is the first internal candidate promoted into the job, the company said.
An insider wins the top games job
Ayoub will lead Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, Duel Masters and Hasbro Digital Games, which include the titles Exodus and Warlock, according to the press release. Hasbro said it picked him after a search that evaluated dozens of internal and external candidates.
CEO Chris Cocks said the promotion "reflects one of my top priorities: developing our people." Ayoub said the plan is to "put fans first" and "set an ambitious course for growth across tabletop and digital."
Polygon reported that former president John Hight moved to an advisory role at the start of September, and that Cocks has overseen the division since while the search ran.
From Halo studio to D&D
Ayoub joined Wizards of the Coast in 2022 to lead its digital studios, then became senior vice president of Digital Games, where the company says he grew its studios and extended its partnerships worldwide. Most recently he led D&D, which Hasbro says he helped revitalize across tabletop and digital.
He has made video games for 25 years, the company said. Before Wizards he spent 11 years at Microsoft, including as executive producer and studio head at Halo studio 343 Industries, and later served as vice president and general manager of Certain Affinity.
Hasbro says he has played D&D with the same group of friends since he was 10 and picked up Magic the year it launched.
A business built on franchises
Wizards of the Coast is the games studio inside Hasbro, whose brands also include Nerf and Peppa Pig, and which licenses its properties for products, digital games and entertainment. Magic and D&D are among the franchises the company names first when it describes its portfolio.
Polygon reports Exodus is slated for April 7, 2027, and Warlock has a 2027 release window.
Ayoub's first day as president is November 2.
Sources
- 8-K Filing — HASBRO, INC. (HAS) — SEC EDGAR
- Exhibit exhibit991danayoubappointm.htm — HASBRO, INC. 8-K exhibit — SEC EDGAR
- D&D Boss Officially Named Head of Wizards of the Coast — polygon.com
- Hasbro Stock Gains Focus After Earnings Beat — Yahoo Finance
- Hasbro Names Dan Ayoub President of Wizards of the Coast & — globenewswire.com
