Hasbro has named longtime video game executive John Hight as President of its Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming division, continuing its string of top executives without tabletop game experience.  Hight comes to the role after 12 years at Blizzard Entertainment, where he oversaw all game development and operations for the World of Warcraft games and served on Blizzard’s executive leadership team.  In his 30+ years in the video game business, Hight also spent time at Sony, Atari, Electronic Arts, and the 3DO Company.

Hasbro CEO (and former Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming President) Chris Cocks explained the value of Hight's background in achieving the goals of the division.  "John's love of D&D and Magic: The Gathering, combined with his leadership in video games, will be crucial as we expand our digital offerings to deliver what our fans crave," he said in a statement accompanying the announcement.

The hire became necessary when Cynthia Williams resigned the position in April with short notice (see "Wizards of the Coast Resigns") to take over at Funko (see "WotC Prez to Funko").