Christian Hoffer at Screen Rant broke the news that Jeremy Crawford joins Chris Perkins in leaving Wizards of the Coast.
Perkins announced his departure in early April 2025, while Crawfordโs exit is set for later this month, marking the end of their long tenures shaping the game.
Jeremy Crawford set to leave Wizards of the Coast
Both designers were instrumental in crafting D&Dโs Fifth Edition, its most popular ruleset to date. Perkins, a 28-year veteran, served as Creative Director and led narrative design for projects like Curse of Strahd.
Crawford, the lead rules designer, spearheaded the 2024 revised core rulebooks. Both were considered the faces of the franchise in recent years and appeared in most videos discussing the title.
Their departures follow the completion of these updated rulebooks, a major milestone for D&Dโs 50th anniversary. Sources confirm both chose to leave voluntarily, not as part of broader layoffs, suggesting a natural transition after a decade of leadership.
Video covering the news and sharing thoughts:
With Perkins and Crawford gone, questions linger about D&Dโs design direction. Their expertise guided the gameโs modern success, and their absence leaves a gap as Wizards navigates ongoing projects and beyond.
All of this was confirmed in an interview conducted by Hoffer with Wizards of the Coastโs VP of Franchise and Product (Dungeons & Dragons) Jess Lanzillo.
โThey wanted to make sure that [the core rulebooks] were really successful, that they were setting up all of the future leads for success,โ Lanzillo said.โThat has happened, and they feel really reassured that the folks in place will be able to carry on with the wonderful legacy that theyโve given us, and then bring their own stuff to the table, which theyโve already been doing,โ the article reads.
If you want to see all Lanzillo had to say, check out the article by Christian Hoffer.
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