First person: John Hight.

First person: John Hight.

• John is President of Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast & Digital Gaming divisions
• His remit includes Hasbro’s network of gaming studios and digital licensing agreements, as well as strategy for MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
• He joined in 2024 after overseeing World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Warcraft Rumble as the SVP and GM of the Warcraft Franchise at Blizzard Entertainment

When John Hight joined Hasbro last year to lead Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming, it felt, in his words, like coming full circle. “MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS were foundational influences,” he says. “They inspired me and many others when we were just beginning our journeys in game development.”
As he continues to lead two of the most beloved franchises in gaming, John is focused on three clear priorities:

🚀Nurture our creative culture and be a haven for talent to realize their best work;

🚀Establish Wizards as a must-play publisher of digital games; and

🚀Bring Magic and D&D to more players on tabletop and digital, through great content, and continuous improvement.

⌛ A Legacy That Evolves

John’s admiration for the staying power of Magic and D&D is clear. “These games have stood the test of time because they were designed to evolve,” he notes. “They grow with their players, incorporating new worlds, new mechanics, and new ways to play. At their core, both are about bringing people together to play and imagine—whether it's through strategic competition in Magic or roleplaying and storytelling in D&D.”

That spirit of evolution is central to John’s vision for growth at Wizards: meeting players where they are, whether that’s at the table or on digital platforms, and giving them experiences they want to share with others.

⏸️ Building With Purpose

Ask John what he wishes more people knew about gaming, and he’s quick to shine a light on the creators behind the scenes. “Often the best aspects of a game are made by people that shun public attention – but they truly thrive in bringing joy to players. I’d love to see more balanced posts on forums and threads from players citing what they enjoyed along with what they feel could have been better.”

He’s equally candid about what he’s learned from failure. Reflecting on his time at Blizzard Entertainment, he shares a hard-earned lesson about delaying a major release during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The team was seasoned and shipped many expansions together, but this was the first time we’d shipped a game working entirely from home. My methods for tracking progress weren’t effective in a world where I couldn’t just walk the halls and talk to our developers. People were more forthcoming about sharing their concerns, and faster at collaborating with each other on solutions, when they were in the same space. As we were trying to finalize, it just wasn’t coming together as smoothly as it had in the past. We needed more time to polish, and announcing a delay was tough—but ultimately the expansion was solid and the players were supportive.”

✨ Moments of Magic

For John, a standout moment has been attending MagicCon in Las Vegas in October 2024. “I played with fellow fans, met the artists, and watched our team unveil a fantastic lineup. The player support for our Universes Beyond collaboration with Final Fantasy has been incredible. This is a great time to be playing Magic!”

🐠 From Netting Tropical Fish to Shaping Iconic New Worlds

John’s career journey began far from the gaming spotlight. His first job? Netting tropical fish at a pet store. He found his way into game development through a side project—working after hours at his video postproduction day job to create a Battleship game for the (now defunct) Philips CDi.

As for what keeps him up at night today? It’s not worry—it’s games. “Playing games helps me unwind,” he says. And that sense of joy and immersion is exactly what he hopes to bring to players around the world alongside his teammates at Wizards.

“We’re serious,” John emphasizes. “We want to make games that you want to play and remember fondly. We will take the extra care, the attention to detail, to win your smile.”

⚡ Lightning Round

John’s inspiration? “I like it when people laugh.”

His corporate superpower: “Getting both developers and shareholders to realize their dreams.”

What does he want to learn more about? “What’s going on inside my cat’s brain?”

And if he could be any Hasbro character? “Drizzt Do’Urden from D&D.”