In a seismic shift for the tabletop roleplaying game industry, legendary Dungeons & Dragons designers Christopher Perkins and Jeremy Crawford have officially joined Critical Role’s publishing division, Darrington Press. This move comes just two months after the pair left Wizards of the Coast, where they had guided D&D through its most successful era to date.
The Announcement
On June 16, 2025, Critical Role announced that Perkins and Crawford would be joining Darrington Press in roles mirroring their previous positions at Wizards of the Coast. Perkins takes on the role of Creative Director while Crawford steps in as Game Director. According to the announcement, the duo will be developing “new game concepts, innovative mechanics, and future iterations of expansions across the publisher’s product line.”
Why They Left Wizards of the Coast
After decades at Wizards of the Coast (Perkins spent 28 years with the company), both designers departed in April 2025. While the timing surprised many, Perkins had apparently been planning his exit for some time.
“I was committed to staying with Wizards until after D&D’s 50th anniversary, which gave me lots of time to work on succession planning and exit strategies,” – Christopher Perkins explained in an interview with the LA Times.
“The opportunity to continue working together seems to have been a major factor in their decision.” – Jeremy Crawford noted.
““When they approached us about joining them, we happily said yes. It meant we could continue our creative partnership in a company whose mission and people we believe in.” – Jeremy Crawford.
In Their Own Words
Both designers expressed enthusiasm about their new roles at Darrington Press, with storytelling opportunities being a central theme.
“Storytelling has always been at the heart of everything I do, and joining Darrington Press feels a bit like coming home. I’ve loved being a part of the extended Critical Role family as a regular guest over the years and I’m beyond excited to help create new worlds full of adventure.” – Christopher Perkins Stated.
“I’ve always believed that great games invite everyone to the table, and that’s exactly what excites me about joining Darrington Press. 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.” – Jeremy Crawford shared similar sentiments:
The Critical Role Connection
This move isn’t entirely surprising given the designers’ existing relationships with Critical Role. Perkins has guest-starred in multiple Critical Role campaigns, and both designers worked with the Critical Role team on official Wizards of the Coast sourcebooks. The transition seems to be as much about continuing established creative partnerships as it is about new opportunities.
Community Reaction
The tabletop gaming community has largely responded positively to the news, with many fans celebrating that the “dynamic duo” will continue working together. The move is widely seen as strengthening Critical Role’s position in the TTRPG market, especially following the recent launch of their Daggerheart system.
Industry observers note this represents a significant shift in the TTRPG landscape. As one article put it, “It’s a fully fledged RPG war now.” Critical Role, which built its empire playing D&D 5th Edition (the very system Crawford and Perkins helped create), has now become a direct competitor to Wizards of the Coast with its own rulesets and fantasy worlds.
What’s Next?
While not explicitly stated, many expect Perkins and Crawford to contribute significantly to Daggerheart, Critical Role’s recently launched TTRPG system. Released on May 20, 2025, Daggerheart features a narrative-focused d12 system that’s already gaining traction as an alternative to D&D.
The hiring of these two legendary designers signals Critical Role’s serious commitment to expanding its tabletop gaming footprint beyond streaming content. With their decades of combined experience in game design and storytelling, Perkins and Crawford are poised to help Darrington Press develop compelling new games and expansions that could potentially reshape the TTRPG landscape.
As the dust settles on this industry-shaking move, one thing is clear: the competition between Wizards of the Coast and Critical Role has entered a new phase, with talented creators now moving between these powerhouse companies in what promises to be an exciting new era for tabletop roleplaying games.
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