Leadership Archives

AppWizard

November 8, 2024

Unity hires Jarrod Yahes as its new CFO

Jarrod Yahes has been appointed as the new chief financial officer and senior vice president of Unity, succeeding Luis Visoso, who left the company in August. Yahes previously worked at Shutterstock and Zeta Global. Unity's CEO, Matt Bromberg, expressed enthusiasm about Yahes' appointment, highlighting his operational rigor and growth orientation. Yahes expressed excitement about joining Unity and supporting its mission in the gaming and interactive experiences ecosystem.

AppWizard

November 6, 2024

Don’t Nod staff to strike

Workers at the French video game developer Don't Nod are set to strike on Friday, November 8th, at 2 PM, organized by the STJV union. The strike is in response to a restructuring plan that puts 69 employees at risk of redundancy. Employees are demanding the withdrawal of the redundancy plan, greater representation in decision-making, and the presence of CEO Oskar Guilbert during negotiations. They expressed their frustrations in a letter to leadership, stating that failures are due to negligent acts and bad decisions from management.

AppWizard

October 30, 2024

EA hits $2.03bn net revenue for Q2

Electronic Arts (EA) reported a net revenue of .025 billion for the quarter ending September 30th, a year-on-year increase of 5.8 percent. Of this total, 35 percent came from full game sales and 65 percent from live services and other revenue streams. The Sims franchise contributed significantly, gaining 15 million new users and exceeding net bookings expectations. EA's net bookings for the quarter reached .079 billion, a 14 percent increase from the previous year. CEO Andrew Wilson noted the strong quarter and record Q2 net bookings, while CFO Stuart Canfield indicated that the company is raising its FY25 outlook due to exceeding guidance.

Winsage

October 30, 2024

Microsoft Copilot AI use extends deep into corporate America, but companies aren’t 100% sold

Microsoft 365 Copilot has seen a surge in adoption among corporations, with 79% of technology executives reporting their organizations are utilizing the tool. However, only half of the surveyed companies plan to roll it out to all employees, while 17% have opted against full adoption, and about a third are still testing it. A quarter of tech leaders believe the investment in Copilot is justified, while another quarter disagree, and half feel it is too early to assess its value. Two-thirds of organizations are increasing generative AI investments, but many projects remain in pilot stages, with over two-thirds of firms reporting that only 30% or fewer of their generative AI experiments have moved to full production. More than 40% of organizations struggle to define and measure the impact of their generative AI initiatives, and fewer than half have established key performance indicators. Microsoft has reported a near doubling of daily users of Copilot quarter-over-quarter, with nearly 60% of Fortune 500 companies utilizing the tool. A company with 10,000 employees could incur an annual cost of approximately .6 million for Copilot. A Morgan Stanley study indicates that 94% of CIOs expect to adopt Microsoft’s generative AI products within the next year, up from 63% in the previous quarter. According to the CNBC survey, 46% of respondents report that at least half of their employees are using AI, while 42% indicate that one-quarter of their workforce has embraced AI tools. Most organizations (84%) believe generative AI tools will significantly impact their business strategies moving forward.

Winsage

October 29, 2024

Microsoft’s AI Agents idea for Windows 11 is insane, it could change how you use PCs

Microsoft is developing a project called Windows Agent Arena, which aims to create AI agents that can perform tasks on Windows 11 PCs. This open-source framework allows developers to build and test AI agents capable of understanding screen content and executing commands. The AI agents can automate various tasks, such as adjusting privacy settings in Microsoft Edge, installing extensions in VSCode, and modifying settings in applications like VLC and Paint. Researchers have indicated that the initial model can manage up to 150 different tasks, with a specific AI agent named Navi achieving a 19.5% success rate in task completion. Microsoft has also open-sourced a screen-understanding model called "Omniparser" to assist developers in creating more effective agents.

AppWizard

October 29, 2024

Tencent pushes back on games layoff reports

Tencent has denied rumors of layoffs within its gaming division, stating that no restructuring efforts are underway and that the Timi Studio Group is actively hiring. The company refuted reports suggesting a reduction in workforce and consolidation of its 13 development studios into four. However, there have been leadership changes within the Interactive Entertainment Group, including the amicable departure of Vice President Zeng Yu and ten other management transitions, including Huang Lanxiao stepping down as General Manager of Timi's Level 1 studio.

AppWizard

October 24, 2024

Industry vet Mesmar joins Beyond Good and Evil 2 team

Fawzi Mesmar has joined the Beyond Good and Evil 2 team as its creative director, as announced on LinkedIn. He previously served as Vice President for global creative at Ubisoft and has experience at DICE and King. Mesmar takes over from the late Emile Morel, who passed away in 2023. The current version of Beyond Good and Evil 2 was first unveiled in 2017, following an earlier development that began in 2008.

AppWizard

October 22, 2024

Kakao’s new AI messaging app will speak in the voices of K-pop idols

Kakao has introduced an AI-integrated messenger app named Kanana at its annual developer conference in Yongin, Gyeonggi. Kanana enhances user experience by summarizing messages, managing schedules, and recommending entertainment based on chat history. The app features two AI characters: Nana for personal use, who can manage appointments and summarize texts, and Kana for group interactions, creating quizzes and summarizing past conversations. Users can set the AI's voice to that of K-pop artists. Kanana is currently in internal testing, with a beta release planned for Kakao employees later this year. Kakao aims to expand its AI product offerings under the Kanana brand, amidst challenges including regulatory issues and competition from Naver. A new AI division named Kanana has been formed, integrating AI R&D personnel from the former Kakao Brain.

AppWizard

October 22, 2024

Hi-Rez closes two titles following layoffs

Hi-Rez Studios has announced the closure of two games, Divine Knockout and Realm Royale Reforged, which will be shut down on February 17th, 2025. Following this announcement, the company recently experienced layoffs, which CEO Stewart Chisam described as a "heartbreaking decision" that reflects a failure in his leadership. He acknowledged the impact on employees and expressed gratitude for their contributions.

AppWizard

October 21, 2024

Dave the Diver creator says ‘story DLC’ is coming, jokes about expanding into a ‘Dave cinematic universe’ with new games

Mintrocket and Nexon's game Dave the Diver combines deep-sea exploration with sushi-making and received a 91% rating from critics and players. Jaeho Hwang, the game's creator and director, was appointed CEO of Mintrocket after the game's success, allowing the studio to focus on game development. Hwang plans to develop a story DLC and separate games exploring character backstories. The game features an ensemble cast and is part of an extended universe, with one character, Cobra, originating from Hwang's previous project, Evil Factory. Recently, the game added a Godzilla DLC and collaborations with other titles, while fans anticipate a story-focused DLC and potential spinoffs.