Latest news with #JessLanzillo
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Xbox's ‘S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2' Coming to PlayStation; Wizards of the Coast's Jess Lanzillo Heads to White Wolf (Gaming News Roundup)
Former Xbox exclusive 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl' is heading to PlayStation consoles later this year. Following its November 2024 global launch on PC and Xbox Series X and S, the GSC Game World-developed title will be released on Sony's PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro in late 2025. More from Variety Netflix's 'Squid Game' Mobile Game Adds Season 3 Competitions, Including Hide and Seek and Sky Squid Game (Gaming News Roundup) Xbox's Next-Gen Console to Be Powered by AMD (Gaming News Roundup) Remastered 'Backyard Baseball '97' Heads to Switch, PS5 (Gaming News Roundup) This news comes on the heels of last week's announcement that 'Helldivers 2,' a PS5 video game, will soon be available to play on Xbox Series X and S. These moves mark the latest shifts across devices as the gaming industry takes notice of consumers' habits and desires to be more title focused and less beholden to what's available on one pricey hardware platform. Per the description for 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2,' which was completed by Ukrainian game developer GSC Game World over the past few years during Russia's ongoing invasion in the country, the game 'is set in a fictional, reimagined Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.' 'The nuclear disaster at the Chornobyl Power Plant in 1986 was not the only incident, as a second explosion struck the reactor in 2006, giving rise to the Zone,' according to the synopsis. 'This dangerous region is inhabited by mutated creatures, hostile anomalies, deadly radiation, and an enigmatic, anomalous energy. Bounty hunters venture deep into the Zone, drawn in by the temptation of its treasures and mysteries. Some are fleeing their past, others are driven by greed, and a few are determined to uncover the truth behind the Zone's darkest secrets.' Watch the trailer announcing 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2' making its way to PlayStation in the video below. See more gaming news from this week in Variety's roundup. 'World of Darkness' IP ('Vampire: The Masquerade, 'Werewolf: The Apocalypse' and 'Hunter: The Reckoning') holder White Wolf has tapped Wizards of the Coast vet Jess Lanzillo as its new creative director. Before joining White Wolf, Lanzillo served as vice president of franchise and product for Wizards' Dungeons & Dragons brand, following years of franchise creative direction for Magic: The Gathering. As White Wolf's new creative director, she will lead the vision and IP development for World of Darkness story worlds across its transmedia catalog, encompassing TTRPG sourcebooks, video games, and other media. 'World of Darkness has been my creative north star since the '90s, and I've seen firsthand how these games create communities and inspire storytellers,' Lanzillo said. 'My focus is on supporting and amplifying what makes these worlds special—the rich lore, the player agency, the mature themes—while ensuring they reach everyone who would love them. World of Darkness is so much more than just games; it's a cultural touchstone with a passionate community and incredible untapped potential.' 'Bringing Jess on board to shape the creative future of World of Darkness is a big win for White Wolf,' White Wolf executive vice president Marco Behrmann added. 'She's a world-class Creative Director with deep roots in developing transmedia properties and a sharp instinct for audience-first storytelling. Jess's experience makes her the perfect fit to lead White Wolf in bold, ambitious ways. Jess is a key pillar of our expanding studio, helping drive a strong and clear creative vision from the heart of our team. Her arrival underscores Paradox's long-term commitment to White Wolf and our goal to make World of Darkness the number one horror entertainment brand in the world.' Krafton's forthcoming game 'Subnautica 2' has announced a delay in release following the July 2 exit of the game's co-creators, Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, from studio Unknown Worlds. The trio, who were also the co-founders of the game studio, were replaced by Striking Distance Studios vet Steve Papoutsis, who was appointed CEO upon their departure. According to tghe South Korea-based Krafton, the game's delay to 2026, which was revealed Wednesday, 'had already been under discussion prior to recent leadership changes' at Unknown Worlds. 'During playtests for 'Subnautica 2,' we received valuable feedback from our community that reinforced our confidence in the game's direction,' Krafton said in a statement to Variety. 'At the same time, the feedback highlighted a few areas that could benefit from further refinement before release. As community voices play a central role in how we shape our games, we've made the decision to give the development team more time to implement that feedback and deliver a more complete experience. As a result, 'Subnautica 2's Early Access launch has been rescheduled for 2026. This decision was based solely on our commitment to quality and to delivering the best possible experience for players. It was not influenced by any contractual or financial considerations.' On Tuesday, new studio Opus Major announced its debut project, 'MAJJAM.' Described as a 'multiplayer adventure game where music shapes the gameplay, from movement and combat to exploration and interaction,' the title is being developed as 'a vibrant co-op adventure inspired by the communal creativity of a live jam session, where players can build their own expressive arsenal of melodies, rhythms, and harmonies to explore and rescue a vibrant and ever-evolving world.' Watch the trailer for 'MAJJAM' below. On Thursday, Samsung revealed a new product for gaming advertisers, Mobile Conversion, which aims to help 'mobile gaming brands turn TV viewers into mobile gamers.' Per Samsung ads, 'Designed specifically for mobile-first and gaming brands, Mobile Conversion is a performance-driven solution that empowers game publishers to find CTV viewers with a high propensity to convert or download gaming apps using advanced machine learning and AI.' According to Samsung's beta testing, Samsung Ads exceeded client ROAS goals by up to 150% on Day 7, 'demonstrating CTV's effectiveness in driving mobile game installs.' Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Geek Wire
18-06-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
Tech Moves: Wizards of the Coast VP departs; Seeq hires CFO; nLight adds board member; and more
Jess Lanzillo. (LinkedIn Photo) — Magical minds from the Renton, Wash., tabletop gaming company Wizards of the Coast are casting new career paths. Jess Lanzillo, who was promoted last year to vice president of the D&D franchise, shared news this week that she was resigning in a perfectly on-brand post. 'Wizards turns imaginary worlds into real communities, which sounds fake but is actually the most satisfying work in the world. To everyone who let me champion this mission while constantly asking 'can you add more glowies?' — you are perfect and I love you,' Lanzillo wrote on LinkedIn. She did not indicate the nature of her next campaign. Todd Kenreck, a senior marketing strategist for the company's video content on social media channels, was laid off after more than four years. In a post on X, Kenreck thanked 'the entire D&D team for being some of the kindest, most talented and passionate people I've ever known. This was my dream job. The tabletop community has given me everything.' Former Dungeons & Dragons directors Christopher Perkins, who left the company this spring after nearly three decades, and Jeremy Crawford, who marked an 18-year tenure, have joined Darrington Press, the publishing arm of the gaming company Critical Role. Perkins is creative director, and Crawford is game director. 'I've always believed that great games invite everyone to the table, and that's exactly what excites me about joining Darrington Press,' Crawford said in a statement. 'This team is passionate, wildly creative, and committed to building welcoming, connected, amazing story-driven experiences — I can't wait to expand on what Critical Role has already created to develop some really fun and unique games.' Ray Scheppach. (Photo via PR Newswire) — Seeq, an industrial analytics startup, named Ray Scheppach as its chief financial officer. Sheppach joins the Seattle company from iManage, where he was CFO for a decade. He is based in Chicago. Seeq CEO Lisa Graham said Sheppach's 'deep experience in scaling SaaS businesses and leading through high-growth phases will be instrumental.' Last August Seeq announced $50 million to support its development of analytics, artificial intelligence and monitoring technology that aids industrial businesses in optimizing their operations. — Vancouver, Wash.,-based nLight announced that Mark Hartman is joining its board of directors. The publicly traded company manufacturers high-powered lasers used in aerospace, defense and manufacturing. Hartman was previously chief financial officer for Woodward. Hartman is taking the place of Menlo Ventures managing director Doug Carlisle, who resigned after 24 years on the nLight board. — Joanna Lord, a former marketing leader at Moz, BigDoor and Porch Group, is resigning from Spring Health. She has not taken a new full-time role and in the meantime will offer consulting and advising services. — Jon Gettinger, former chief marketer for Seattle-area's Spoken Communications, left his role as CMO at e-commerce operations startup Pipe17 and is now an exec of a stealth AI startup. Maddie Heyman. (LinkedIn Photo) — Political PR firm Monument Advocacy named Maddie Heyman as its vice president. Heyman will join the company's public affairs team at its Seattle office. Heyman was previously at Microsoft for more than a decade, leaving the role of senior manager of external relations for the tech giant's president, Brad Smith. — Seattle marketing tech company Banzai International announced Michael Kurtzman as chief revenue officer. He was previously CEO of Violett, a startup that developed high-tech air purification devices. Prior to that role, he was CRO at at Zype, which was acquired by Backlight. News broke this week that Banzai's $53.2 million acquisition of Portland's Act-On Software fell through after Banzai was unable to secure funding. Damon Fletcher. (LinkedIn Photo) — Former Tableau CFO Damon Fletcher is the first venture partner with Paper Crane Factory, a Seattle-based creative branding agency that works exclusively with startups. Fletcher is also CEO and founder of Caliper, a data infrastructure and analytics startup. Other past employers include DataRobot and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Paper Crane Factory offers reduced fees for its services in exchange for equity and is run by former leaders of the ad agency Wexley School for Girls. 'What initially attracted me to Paper Crane Factory was their distinctive approach to incubating and collaborating with early-stage startups, guiding them to solve critical business challenges and build sustainable growth,' Fletcher said in a statement. — Andrew Johnson joined Seattle's Allen Institute for Cell Science as an associate scientific program manager. Past roles include positions at The Access to Advanced Health Institute and Fred Hutch Cancer Center. — Healthcare tech company MacroHealth named B.J. Boyle as its chief product officer. The Kirkland, Wash., business recently announced the acquisition of Foundational Pharmacy Solutions. Boyle will oversee the product integration of the company as well as future commercialization efforts. He was previously at PointClickCare for nearly a decade. — The former head of communications for clean tech startup Tidal Vision is stepping down from her role. Meghna Rao said on LinkedIn that she is now co-leading a networking group for sustainability professionals, volunteering with Ecology Project International, and taking yoga and dance teacher trainings. — The Fred Hutch Cancer Center celebrated award-winning researchers.
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Dungeons And Dragons Updates System Reference Document For Creators
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 22: Attendees play Dungeons & Dragons during TwitchCon 2023 Las Vegas at ... More the Las Vegas Convention Center on October 22, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by) A vital component to the success of Dungeons and Dragons is the System Reference Document, or SRD. This helps Dungeon Masters, content creators and third party publishers know what elements of D&D are free for them to use. On April 22nd, 2025, a new version is being released that will update the System Reference Document to bring it in line with the 2024 Core Rule Books. 'Play and creation are two different activities, although in D&D they overlap quite frequently,' said Jess Lanzillo, VP of Franchise and Product for Dungeons & Dragons. 'These things can be something that you create and then decide to commercialize or do anything like that with. That's within the realms of the SRD.' The SRD 5.2 includes a revised and expanded set of content from SRD 5.1, such as additional spells, feats, monsters, and equipment. Everything is now available under a Creative Commons license, giving creators confidence and clarity on what they can build. Third party support has been vital to the success of the game. 'We've added some stuff,' said Lanzillo. 'it's a little bit expanded. There might be a few reskins of things that might have a specific IP associated name that we might call something else. You'll still have the exact same mechanical content for that. One of the things I'm excited about, I know it's minor, but it's fun; the hippo is now in the SRD.' For creators, the new Systems Reference Document means more freedom and clarity about what they can use in their releases, unlocking creativity and lowering barriers to entry. The 2024 Players Handbook, 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide and 2024 Monster Manual are compatible with earlier versions of those books but there are still changes between the 2014 and 2024 versions of the game. Upcoming tools will make it easier to transition from the earlier Systems Reference Document. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder 'We're expanding our creator hub resources,' said Lanzillo. 'There will be conversion calculators and things like that. People who have previously made content can adapt that content for the new core rules. We're going to expand on that at D&D Beyond by mking it a creator central where we can give people really good advice for not just creating third party content but being a creator for D&D in general.' The new Systems Reference Document will be part of the errata process, ensuring it is regularly updated as official clarifications and corrections are published for the 2024 Core Rulebooks. D&D is a living, breathing game and any updates to the rules will now be centrally located at D&D Beyond. The central location of rules updates allows the designers to respond to how players are playing D&D and what creators are creating within the game. Once the trilogy of core books was finalized, the design team moved to ensure the System Reference Document supported the creators who rely on it. Supporting third party creators is a top priority for the success of the 2024 Core Rulebooks. This update is the fastest update of any version of the document. 'It was a living document that was created as we went through the development of the core rules,' said Lanzillo. 'It was in line with our rules development the whole way. In earnest, we go back and we're looking at everything altogether. As well as seeing the impacts in the community and the reactions in the community to the materials that have been released. That way we can make sure when SRD 5.2 comes out it can incorporate that first round of errata.' System Reference Document 5.2 is due to be released on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025. More information will be available on D&D Beyond in the coming days.
Axios
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Why Dungeons & Dragons is still winning at 50
Fifty years after Dungeons & Dragons first rolled the dice, the legendary tabletop game remains a cultural force — fueling movies, series, books and one of the most devoted fandoms in gaming history. Why it matters: Dungeons & Dragons pioneered the role-playing genre, and since acquiring it in 1997, Renton-based company Wizards of the Coast has expanded its reach and influence. The big picture: D&D's influence can be seen in the " Stranger Things" series, " Baldur's Gate 3" game, " Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" movie and brand collaborations with Converse and Lego, Jess Lanzillo, VP of franchise and product for Dungeons & Dragons, told Axios in an email. But its impact extends beyond entertainment, finding uses in education and therapy. By the numbers: 85 million global fans engaged with the brand in the past year, per Wizards of the Coast. That includes playing tabletop D&D and video games and buying merchandise. D&D's popularity surged during the pandemic, with Wizards reporting a 33% revenue spike in 2020. More than 19 million people have created accounts on D&D Beyond, the official digital platform, per Wizards. Flashback: Created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974, D&D introduced collaborative storytelling, where players use dice and imagination to shape fantasy worlds. The game's popularity exploded after Wizards of the Coast — the Hasbro-owned makers of "Magic: The Gathering" — acquired it and expanded its reach. What we're hearing: Niko Mendes, a 27-year-old environmental scientist in Olympia who has played since he was 12, says D&D offers a creative freedom unmatched by other games. "It's an incredible way to tell a story with friends, where choices shape the world in real-time," he told Axios in a phone interview. "It's dynamic, fun, and liberating." Among the new releases Mendes said he is particularly excited about is the revival of classic settings and older worlds such as Forgotten Realms. What's next: Wizards of the Coast is releasing a slate of new products to be rolled out throughout 2025, including: Monster Manual: The newest update will feature 500+ monsters, including 85 new ones, and streamlined navigation. (Feb. 18) Dragon Delves: 10 short adventures spotlighting iconic dragons and their history. (July 8) Eberron: Forge of the Artificer: Expanded options for Artificers and new Dungeon Master tools. (Aug. 19) Starter Set: Heroes of the Borderlands: A beginner-friendly entry point with shared DM campaigns. (Sept. 16) Forgotten Realms Guides: Deep dives into five legendary settings, from Baldur's Gate to Icewind Dale. (Nov. 11) Project Sigil, a new immersive 3D tool for playing D&D, launched in alpha in September, with testers tripling since the launch, officials with the Hasbro subsidiary told media during an office tour last week. What they're saying:"D&D is more than a brand; it is a lifestyle and an institution," said Lanzillo. "We are providing a venue for folks to build lifelong memories and friendships."
