White Wolf announced that Jess Lanzillo, former vice president of Dungeons & Dragons and creative director of Magic: The Gathering, has joined as creative director of World of Darkness. Lanzillo joins as White Wolf works to bring World of Darkness licensing and publishing back in-house.
Lanzillo will be responsible for developing IP for tabletop RPGs such as Vampire: The Masked One, Werewolf: The Apocalypse , Hunter: The Reckoning , and more. With a track record of guiding iconic franchises like Magic and D&D while preserving their core identity, Lanzillo is positioned to expand World of Darkness across multiple platforms.
“The World of Darkness has been my creative North Star since the 1990s, and I’ve seen firsthand how these games build communities and inspire storytellers,” Lanzillo said in a White Wolf statement. “My focus is to support and amplify what makes these worlds special—the rich lore, the player agency, the mature themes—while ensuring they reach everyone who loves them. The World of Darkness is so much more than just games; it’s a cultural touchstone with a passionate community and incredible untapped potential.”
Lanzillo’s move to World of Darkness comes as several creative figures within the Dungeons & Dragons ship have jumped ship to competitors, such as the critically acclaimed tabletop games publishing arm, Darrington Press. Perkins and Crawford left D&D and Magic: The Gathering publisher Wizards of the Coast in April after decades of shared experience at the tabletop game maker, developing content for Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, and Warhammer fantasy role-playing games.
“Bringing Jess on board to shape the creative future of World of Darkness is a huge win for White Wolf,” said Marco Behrmann, Executive Vice President of White Wolf. “She is a world-class creative director with deep roots in developing transmedia properties and a keen instinct for audience-first, the world’s number one horror entertainment brand.”
A longtime fan since Vampire: The Masquerade ‘s 1991 debut, it seems White Wolf is looking for Lanzillo to bring insider passion and industry knowledge to the table to usher the world of darkness into its next era. But it makes one wonder: what’s going on at Wizards of the Coast that’s causing vets to leave in quick succession?
Vampire: The Masquerade will return to the video game realm later this year, with the long-awaited release of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloods 2 in October.
