The popular tabletop role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons, has gone through a lot of changes recently. Shortly after a big update to the game’s rules, several key people at Wizards of the Coast, including Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins, left the company to work on other projects. This left many fans wondering what the future held for D&D. While we still don’t have many details about what’s planned for 2026, a recent announcement revealed a new team member that is sure to please fans.
On the December 31st episode of the D&D podcast Eldritch Lorecast, James Haeck announced some important news that may have been overlooked due to the holidays. Haeck, a longtime freelance D&D designer, is now a full-time senior game designer at Wizards of the Coast. This means he’ll be leaving his role with Eldritch Lorecast, but it’s exciting news for D&D fans, as Haeck has contributed to many of the most popular adventures in the current edition of the game.
James Haeck Steps In As New Senior Game Designer at Wizards of the Coast
If you often check who writes D&D adventures, you might already know Haeck. They’ve contributed to several popular D&D 5e adventure books over the past few years, including favorites like Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus and Call of the Netherdeep. They also wrote the official D&D campaign book for Critical Role, Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount. Plus, D&D Beyond users will recognize them as a lead writer who created many helpful online guides for both players and Dungeon Masters.
It seems Haeck will be a key figure in the development of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition going forward. You can hear Haeck discuss this new position in an official announcement on the Eldritch Lorecast podcast, available here:
Wizards of the Coast hasn’t shared many details about what’s planned for Dungeons & Dragons this year. While they’re enthusiastic about upcoming projects, specifics are still under wraps. However, given the new lead designer’s experience with creating campaigns, it’s possible we’ll soon see a complete campaign book designed for the updated 5th edition rules. It’s worth noting that current projects have likely been in development for some time, so the full effect of the new designer’s influence won’t be immediately apparent.
Haeck is one of several new additions to the full-time team developing Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast. In early December 2025, Justice Ramin Arman was promoted to Game Design Director. These hires suggest the team is rebuilding after some key departures last year. It’s hoped that this new leadership will bring innovative ideas and energy to future D&D releases.
As a huge D&D fan, I’m really curious to hear what everyone else is hoping to see from the game this year! What are you excited about? Let’s chat about it over on the ComicBook Forum – come join the discussion!
https://comicbook.com/gaming/list/5-things-we-need-to-see-from-dungeons-dragons-warlock/embed/#
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2026-01-03 18:10