Seattle, January 1, 2026
wizards of teh coast Adds ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Veteran to In-House Team
A prolific designer of popular 5th edition adventures joins Wizards as the company navigates a period of change.
- James Haeck, known for his work on adventures like Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and Call of the Netherdeep, is now a senior game designer at Wizards of the Coast.
- The move comes after veteran designers Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford left Wizards for Critical Role’s Darrington Press in mid-2025.
- haeck previously served as lead writer for D&D Beyond, creating guides for players and Dungeon Masters.
- Wizards of the Coast has been actively recruiting designers who shaped the popular 5th edition era of the game.
- No specific upcoming projects Haeck will lead have been announced.
Wizards of the Coast has hired James Haeck, a longtime writer for Dungeons & Dragons, as a senior game designer. this brings one of the 5th edition’s most prolific contributors in-house as the company continues to reshape its design team following the departure of key personnel in 2025.
Haeck is widely recognized for his contributions to some of 5e’s most acclaimed hardcover adventures. He served as lead designer on Call of the Netherdeep, the first official D&D campaign set in Critical Role’s Exandria. He also co-wrote Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, another campaign set within the popular Critical Role universe.
Beyond those titles, Haeck co-authored Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus. Waterdeep: Dragon Heist stands out as a versatile starting adventure, prioritizing intrigue over traditional dungeon crawls. The adventure portrays Waterdeep as a vibrant city teeming with rival factions,offering Dungeon Masters a remarkably flexible urban setting with four distinct seasonal variations for replayability. Descent into Avernus, on the other hand, delivers a high-octane experience filled with demons, devils, a quest for a powerful angelic sword, and “Infernal War Machines” reminiscent of Mad Max in Hell.
In addition to his work on these core adventures, Haeck spent several years as lead writer for D&D Beyond, where he authored and edited numerous guides designed to teach players and Dungeon Masters how to play, run encounters, and build compelling campaigns. His extensive contributions have established him as a highly visible and influential figure in the D&D community.
New Leadership and Future plans
The proclamation of Haeck’s hiring follows the recent promotion of Justice Ramin Armin to D&D design director. Both will collaborate with F. Wesley Schneider, principal game designer, alongside senior designers Makenzie De armas and Amanda Hemon.
wizards of the Coast has not yet revealed which upcoming D&D products Haeck will be leading, nor have they shared details about their 2026 slate. During the podcast announcement, Haeck indicated he would be working in-house on future books but refrained from disclosing specifics until projects are formally unveiled. Though, the addition of another senior designer with meaningful hardcover experience suggests that new announcements are likely on the horizon. It’s clear that Wizards of the Coast is prioritizing the expertise of designers who helped define the most beloved adventures of 5e as the game prepares for its next chapter.
