Wizards of the Coast (WotC) Secretly Hires Corinne Busche at Skeleton Key Studio...
In a move that will no doubt raise eyebrows throughout the entire gaming community, I've been tipped off by an insider that Wizards of the Coast has quietly hired Corinne Busche, the failed director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, to work at their newly formed studio, Skeleton Key.
According to an anonymous source inside Wizards of the Coast, Busche’s hiring wasn’t announced publicly, but my exclusive source said SPECIFICIALLY:
“I just heard a rumor that Corinne Busche was hired on at Skeleton Key, but sure enough, I checked my Teams Org chart, and he’s there”
“REDACTED FOR ANONYMITY, but I’m not pleased about this turn of events.”
So, Corinne Busche was instead quietly discovered by my source via the company’s internal Teams Org chart after rumors began swirling. Nothing official has been posted publicly by Corinne Busche, WotC, or Skeleton Key Studios as of the time of this publication.
Who Exactly is Corinne Busche?
For those unfamiliar, Busche (a biological man who identifies as transgender), here's a quick refresher. He was one of the key figures behind Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the failure of a game that was heavily criticized for pushing extreme gender ideology and woke politics at the expense of any kind of quality storytelling and gameplay.
His approach alienated longtime fans of the Dragon Age series, who felt that the game was far more concerned with forced representation than delivering the RPG experience that so many had come to love.
The backlash against The Veilguard was swift and ...overwhelming. Electronic Arts reported that the game came up about 50% short of their sales expectations, and gamers outright rejected its pandering tone and cartoonish aesthetic. It marked one of the most embarrassing reveals in BioWare’s history, and recently, that's saying something.
Between Anthem, Mass Effect Andromeda, and now this over at BioWare... It's left everyone scratching their collective heads. Ultimately, directly at Busche’s lack of leadership as THE major factor in the game’s ultimate failure to connect with the core audience.
Why is Wizards of the Coast Hiding This?
Busche’s hiring at Skeleton Key seems to have been deliberately kept under wraps—most likely to avoid backlash from the gaming community. Hoping any memory of him would just fade into the abyss.... and Wizards of the Coast is no stranger to controversy, as its mishandling of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and Magic: The Gathering over the past few years has already put them in hot water with a lot of long time fans of the series. Now, with Busche on board, it looks as though they’re doubling down on the same identity-driven political approach that has been rejected time and time again by gamers.
Nepotism in gaming is a major issue, and with DEI being under the microscope of so many gamers, it has taken on a life of it's own. Upon further research, Skeleton Key, is led by former BioWare Austin boss Christian Dailey, who has has described its first project as a “AAA” title focused on immersive gameplay and unique storytelling. I can't help but connect the obvious dots behind the scenes here...
The studio’s direction could now be in serious jeopardy with Busche involved, considering his track record of prioritizing activism over quality game design. Hiring this dude was a massive risk, and based on past performance, it's got to make one wonder... Why would a studio in the modern state of gaming continue going down this path?
A Massive Risk for Wizards of the Coast
Any company that hires Busche is taking on a massive risk, not just in terms of potential financial losses, but also in terms of reputational damage. His tenure at BioWare demonstrated a complete unwillingness to listen to any actual player feedback, and his involvement with The Veilguard turned what could have been a highly anticipated RPG into an industry laughingstock for years to come.
Now, with Wizards of the Coast already struggling to maintain goodwill with its player base, adding a controversial figure like Busche into the mix only raises even more concerns about the company’s potential future. It’s no wonder they wanted to keep this hiring quiet—because they all know exactly how bad this looks, and how the entire gaming community would react.
Now What?
Wizards of the Coast’s decision to bring Corinne Busche on board at Skeleton Key is yet another sign that there's still companies out there moving further away from what most of its players actually want. If the failures of Dragon Age: The Veilguard weren’t enough to prove that Busche’s vision for gaming is out of touch with reality, then only time will tell how much damage he will do at Wizards.
While this did begin as a rumor (below), my source was able to confirm that yes, it is true. Busche has indeed been hired on by WotC.
One thing's for certain: the backlash is coming, and when it does, Wizards won’t be able to hide this mistake for long.
~Smash
