Wizards of the Coast is once again at the center of gaming conversations, this time thanks to new leadership and a renewed vision for the future of Dungeons & Dragons. The company, well known for shaping modern tabletop culture, has appointed John Hight as its president. Hight is no stranger to online fantasy universes: he spent more than a decade at Blizzard, where he served as one of the key figures behind World of Warcraft. 
With this background, it’s not surprising that he has begun speaking openly about the idea of creating a new MMORPG based on the Dungeons & Dragons universe.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Hight expressed both excitement and caution. He admitted that he would love to see a modern D&D MMO come to life but stressed that it would need to be reimagined for today’s players. According to him, the old formulas that worked for Ultima Online, EverQuest, or even World of Warcraft itself are outdated. The future of the genre, he suggested, lies in innovation rather than recycling mechanics from the past. Hight described the process as a gradual journey – a “crawl, walk, run” approach – where Wizards must first ensure it has the right technology, infrastructure, and talent in place before committing to such a massive project.
For long-time fans, this statement is both thrilling and sobering. Wizards has technically dabbled in the MMORPG space before: Dungeons & Dragons Online, launched in 2006, and Neverwinter, released in 2013. Both titles earned loyal followings but never reached the level of mainstream success that the D&D brand might suggest. Compared to the runaway dominance of Blizzard’s World of Warcraft or Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV, the existing D&D MMOs feel small in scope and dated in design. Hight appears intent on changing that perception, but he has also made it clear that a new MMORPG is not yet officially in development. For now, it’s a vision – one that could take nearly a decade to materialize if greenlit.
In the meantime, Wizards of the Coast is keeping busy with a variety of projects designed to expand the D&D universe across different genres and formats. Upcoming titles include Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, a fantasy tabletop-inspired game set to release later this year, and Project Baxter, a cooperative online experience being crafted by Starbreeze, the studio best known for Payday. Scheduled for 2026, Project Baxter is already generating curiosity among fans eager for a fresh multiplayer experience. Other projects on the horizon include a new game from Invoke, formerly Tuque Games, which previously developed Dark Alliance; a yet-unnamed action/adventure title in development at Giant Skull under director Stig Asmussen; and a survival-driven RPG from Gameloft.
Beyond these announcements, Wizards has also been quietly investing in talent. Earlier this year, the company hired a team of former Monolith and Cliffhanger Games developers, led by Michael de Plater. While details remain vague, this group is incubating what has been described only as a “cool new game concept.” Whether it will tie into the D&D brand or stand alone as a separate IP is still unknown. Parallel to this, Wizards is also supporting games outside of D&D entirely, such as Exodus, an ambitious Mass Effect-like RPG being created by Archetype Entertainment, and a GI Joe project under Atomic Arcade.
What emerges from this flurry of activity is a clear message: Wizards of the Coast isn’t limiting itself to one idea or one genre. Under John Hight’s leadership, the company is positioning itself as a serious player in the broader games industry. A new Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG may still be only a dream, but the groundwork being laid today could very well set the stage for something extraordinary in the years ahead. For fans of role-playing adventures, both on the tabletop and online, the next decade looks to be full of intriguing possibilities.