'There’s almost nobody left': CEO of Baldur's Gate 3 dev Swen Vincke says the D&D team he initially worked with is gone, due to Hasbro layoffs

pcgamer.com:

Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke has taken to Twitter today and—in a thread celebrating both Baldur's Gate 3's numerous awards and runaway success—mentions the recent layoffs occurring at Dungeons & Dragons. He reveals that, «of the people who were in the original meeting room, there’s almost nobody left.»

For context, earlier this week Hasbro (owner of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering) announced that it would be laying off 1,100 employees as a way to «modernize our organization and get even leaner». Not soon after, it was revealed that an avalanche of employees from both D&D and MTG had been laid off. 

Among many others, this includes art director Breeanna Heiss and head of publishing and licensing Liz Schuh, the latter of which has worked at the company for over 28 years. Since then even more layoffs have been announced, including senior data scientist Michael Rexford and director of universes beyond creative and production for Magic: The Gathering Megan Galbraith Donahue.

In an investor meeting in October this year, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks specifically mentions Baldur's Gate 3 as a contributing factor for a 40% increase in digital gaming revenue, alongside Monopoly Go! and Magic: The Gathering.

In terms of the game's indirect impact on D&D, the popular livestream Critical Role is often credited for a D&D renaissance of sorts after its meteoric rise to popularity in the mid-to-late 2010s. I can only imagine the massive success of Baldur's Gate 3 will be paying dividends for its tabletop roots for years to come. It's some of the best advertising you could possibly ask for.

Typically, when layoffs like this happen, you can try to get at the callous core of the issue, the money behind the decisions made. I think