Activision Blizzard’s president and COO is leaving the company

UPDATE: Daniel Alegre will join NFT firm Yuga Labs next year

Activision Blizzard’s president and COO is leaving the company, it’s been announced.

Daniel Alegre, who has served in his role since 2020, will depart on March 31 when his current employment contract expires, the company said this weekend.

According to the announcement, Alegre is leaving to pursue another opportunity.

Update19th Dec 2022 / 12:50 pm

Alegre has announced he’s joined Blockchain firm Yuga Labs, the company behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, as CEO.

He succeeds Nicole Muniz, who will stay on as a partner and strategic advisor to the company.

“Since exploding onto the scene with Bored Ape Yacht Club in 2021, Yuga Labs has quickly made a name for itself through a powerful combination of storytelling and community-building,” said Alegre.

“The company’s pipeline of products, partnerships, and IP represents a massive opportunity to define the metaverse in a way that empowers creators and provides users with true ownership of their identity and digital assets. I look forward to working with the passionate, creative team at Yuga to innovate, inspire, and shape the future of the internet together.”

@YugaLabs — home of @boredapeyc, @othersidemeta, @cryptopunksnfts, and more — is a creative powerhouse driving innovation and storytelling in Web3. I am extremely excited to lead the team to the next phase of growth. https://t.co/hS6O9DKhUT
— Daniel Alegre 🍌 (@dalegre) December 19, 2022

The COO’s exit will almost certainly pre-empt the conclusion of Microsoft’s proposed $69 acquisition, which was due to complete by next summer but is now the subject of an FTC lawsuit attempting to block the deal.

A proxy statement filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission last year confirmed that CEO Bobby Kotick is the sole Activision Blizzard executive to hold change-of-control protection that would reward him financially in the event that he’s replaced following a takeover.

Should he be terminated following Microsoft’s acquisition, Kotick could be in line to receive hundreds of millions of dollars.

Kotick came under fire this year for allegedly enabling a toxic workplace culture at Activision Blizzard.

In November, a Wall Street Journal report alleged that Kotick was aware of multiple sexual misconduct allegations at Activision Blizzard.