Bored Apes creator welcomes former Activision’s head as new CEO

The CEO of Yuga Labs has changed to Daniel Alegre. Less than 72 hours had passed since he left his post as Activision Blizzard’s President and COO before his new role was made public.

Daniel Alegre to become Yuga Labs’ CEO in H1 2023

It is quite a business victory for Yuga Labs to entice Alegre to join the blockchain technology company home to the Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks, and Otherside. Alegre helped create well-known brands like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, and Candy Crush and has been assisting Activision Blizzard’s leadership since early 2020. He spent 16 years at Google in various leadership positions, according to his résumé.

Wylie Aronow, a co-founder of Yuga Labs, said in a prepared statement that Daniel “has held one of the highest level responsibilities at one of the top gaming businesses in the world.” As per Aronow, he brings substantial experience across entertainment, e-commerce, and worldwide strategic partnerships.

Additionally, the business claims that Alegre’s new profile photo will be Mutant Ape Yacht Club #3850. (PFP).

Alegre’s decision comes less than two weeks after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a lawsuit to block Microsoft from purchasing Activision Blizzard, a $69 billion acquisition unveiled in January as a bold, strategic move toward the metaverse by the Redmond, Washington-based computer behemoth.

The former CEO of Yuga continues as a partner and advisor

According to Yuga Labs, Alegre will take over in the first half of 2023. Nicole Muniz, the company’s first and current CEO, will stay as a partner and strategic consultant.

Muniz stated last month that the business is “trying to hire the best and brightest to construct the next phase of the internet.” In September, the firm hired mobile gaming executive Spencer Tucker to serve as its chief gaming officer.

Alegre claimed in the statement that “Yuga Labs has quickly established itself through a potent combination of storytelling and community-building.” Former Activision’s president is inspired by a massive opportunity to define the metaverse in a way that empowers creators and gives users true ownership of their identity and digital assets.

Daniel Alegre will mainly focus on Otherside

Alegre’s main area of concentration will be Otherside. The business describes it as “an interoperable gamified metaverse.” According to data from CryptoSlam, Otherside is one of the largest NFT projects launched this year with a total mint and trading volume of close to $1.1 billion. It is the embodiment of Yuga’s gaming ambitions. However, trade momentum has recently decreased along with the rest of the NFT market.

Aronow and fellow Yuga Labs co-founder Greg Solano stated in a blog post that they wanted to bring in someone with a track record of producing at the highest level to rocket Otherside and other ambitious projects to new heights.

In February, Yuga Labs’ supposedly anonymous founders Aronow and Solano, were infamously revealed to be their real names. The business announced a $450 million startup funding round the next month, valued at $4 billion.