AEG and Ryan Dancey Part Ways Following Controversial AI Remarks
Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) and Chief Operating Officer Ryan Dancey have parted ways, the company announced on February 18, 2026. The departure follows controversial comments Dancey made on LinkedIn about artificial intelligence replacing board game designers.
According to reporting by Wargamer, Dancey stated in a LinkedIn discussion that he had no reason to believe AI couldn’t create games like Tiny Towns, Flip 7, or Cubitos. He reportedly added that he could prompt current AI systems “RIGHT NOW and get” comparable results, and predicted that within one to two years, AI would be as useful as a new hire, and within two to four years, as useful as an experienced employee.
“Game publishing isn’t an industry of unique special ideas,” Dancey wrote, according to Wargamer. “It’s an industry about execution, marketing, and attention to detail,” which he characterized as areas where AI excels. He further suggested that the board game industry exists not because humans create unobtainable ideas, but because designers produce new variants based on many previous games—with truly revolutionary moments being extraordinarily rare.
AEG CEO John Zinser announced the split on Bluesky, writing: “Today I want to share that Ryan Dancey and AEG have parted ways. This is not an easy post to write. Ryan has been a significant part of AEG’s story, and I am personally grateful for the years of work, passion, and intensity he brought to the company. We have built a lot together.”
Dancey is a significant figure in the tabletop gaming industry with a career spanning several decades. According to his Wikipedia entry, he helped negotiate the sale of Dungeons & Dragons to Wizards of the Coast during TSR’s bankruptcy in the 1990s and was instrumental in creating the Open Gaming License (OGL) that allowed third-party publishers to create D&D-compatible content. He also co-created the Legend of the Five Rings property and has held positions at companies including Wizards of the Coast, CCP Games, and Goblinworks.
The timing of the announcement, coming shortly after Dancey’s LinkedIn comments, sparked immediate reaction across the board game community. While AEG has not explicitly confirmed that the comments were the direct cause of the separation, in a recent post by Dancey, he indicated that it was a factor.
The incident highlights ongoing tensions in creative industries about the role of AI. While some argue that AI can assist with technical aspects of game design such as playtesting simulations and rule drafting, others maintain that the creative heart of game design—the spark that makes a game emotionally resonant and fun—remains fundamentally human.
As of this writing, neither AEG nor Dancey has released additional statements about the separation or future plans.