Dan Ayoub Named President of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Digital Games

Hasbro has appointed Dan Ayoub as President of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Digital Games, promoting its current Senior Vice President of Dungeons & Dragons into one of tabletop gaming’s most influential leadership positions.

Announced on 27th October, the appointment takes effect on 2nd November 2026. His remit will encompass Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, Duel Masters and digital projects including Exodus and Warlock. Hasbro says it considered dozens of internal and external candidates, with Ayoub becoming the first internal candidate promoted into the role.

Ayoub brings extensive videogame experience to the position. Before joining Wizards in 2022, he spent eleven years at Microsoft, including executive producer and studio head roles at Halo developer 343 Industries. He subsequently served as Vice President and General Manager at Certain Affinity. Within Wizards, he led the company’s digital studios and served as Senior Vice President of Digital Games before taking responsibility for D&D.

His earlier career also included work at Electronic Arts, Disney and Ubisoft. His credits include Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo: Spartan Assault and Halo: The Master Chief Collection, while his Microsoft experience extended into mixed reality and education.

I’m honored to lead Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Digital Games, and grateful to Chris (Cocks, CEO of Hasbro) and the leadership team for this opportunity,” said Ayoub. “Magic and D&D have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and the teams behind them are among the best in the world. We’ll put fans first, respect the artists and creators who make these worlds come alive, and set an ambitious course for growth across tabletop and digital. I can’t wait to get started.”

Ayoub is a lifelong fan of D&D, having played the game with the same group of friends since he was 10, and started playing Magic: The Gathering in 1993, the year it was launched.

The appointment is arguably the most important appointment of 2026, as Wizards operates two of the industry’s most influential brands. Ayoub’s background in digital gaming could influence their future development, licensing and integration with videogames. It’ll be particularly interesting to see what his appointment means for the direction of Dungeons & Dragons, especially after the company’s recent controversies concerning creative work, AI and labor relations and his statement about putting “fans first, respect the artists and creators who make these worlds come alive“.

You can read the full press release on Hasbro’s website.