Summary
- Chris Perkins, the legendary creative director of Dungeons and Dragons, has officially retired after 28 years at Wizards of the Coast.
- Perkins was a key figure in promoting Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition and its content, often appearing in public events.
- Fans are sad to see Perkins leave, but grateful for his contributions and excited for him to enjoy Dungeons and Dragons as a fan.
Chris Perkins, the creative director of Dungeons and Dragons, has officially ended his long career at Wizards of the Coast after 28 years. After being with the company for over half of the game’s lifespan, this legendary Dungeons and Dragons game developer has officially retired, and will now enjoy the game as a fan.
When one thinks of Dungeons and Dragons in the modern era, Chris Perkins is one of the first names that comes to mind. Alongside lead rules designer Jeremy Crawford, Perkins often appeared in videos, panels, and other media as one of the public faces talking about the ins and outs of Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition and all of its new content.
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Unfortunately, fans won’t be seeing Perkins in Dungeons and Dragons content in an official capacity any longer. On April 4, Perkins announced on Twitter and Bluesky that he had officially retired from Wizards of the Coast. Having seen Dungeons and Dragons through its 50th anniversary and the release of the revised 5th Edition D&D core rulebooks, Perkins described his retirement as “the perfect fairytale ending.” Leaving on a high note, the former creative director now looks forward to enjoying Dungeons and Dragons simply as a fan.
Chris Perkins’ Storied Dungeons and Dragons Career
With a career spanning 28 of the 50 years Dungeons and Dragons has been around, Perkins has been with the game since a couple of years after the Advanced D&D Revised Edition was released. He began as the editor of Dungeon magazine, worked on WotC’s official Star Wars: Saga Edition Roleplaying D&D tie-in, and even served as lead story designer on popular Dungeons and Dragons adventures like Curse of Strahd before reaching the rank of game design architect, and later creative director.
Outside the development sphere, Perkins has appeared in many actual play streams over the years. He was the dungeon master for Acquisitions Incorporated for 11 years before passing the torch to Crawford in 2018, and Dice, Camera, Action! until it ended in 2019. Beyond that, he has played as a guest on voice actor-led livestream Critical Role twice, once in Campaign 1 as Shale the Goliath Fighter, and again in Campaign 2 as Spurt, the infamously short-lived Kobold inventor.
While fans are understandably sad to see the legendary Chris Perkins leave Wizards of the Coast, they are glad he is following his heart, and are thankful for his contributions. It remains to be seen if Perkins will be starting any other projects or making future appearances elsewhere. Either way, Crawford and the rest of Wizards of the Coast will have big shoes to fill now that Perkins is no longer with them.
- Franchise
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Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
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1974
- Designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson