With the addition of Daniel Alegre, Yuga Labs is anticipated to increase its metaverse initiatives.

Daniel Alegre is the new CEO of Yuga Labs, the company behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and CryptoPunks NFT collections. On April 1, the executive resigned as president and chief operating officer of gaming behemoth Activision Blizzard to join the NFT venture.

He wrote on Twitter, “Couldn’t be more excited for this next chapter.” Over the past several years, Alegre played a crucial role in Activision Blizzard’s expansion, supervising prominent gaming franchises such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Candy Crush.

The executive has extensive experience in the gaming, entertainment, and technology industries. According to his LinkedIn profile, he spent nearly six years at the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann before joining Google. He served for over sixteen years in various leadership positions overseeing global shopping revenue, retail ecosystem engagement, and operations in Asia Pacific and Latin America.

Yuga Labs announced the release of Alegre in December. The executive stated in a press release that “the company’s pipeline of products, partnerships, and intellectual property represents a tremendous opportunity to define the metaverse.”

A class-action lawsuit filed in December in the United States accuses BAYC creators of misleading investors about the financial benefits of Yuga securities and using celebrity promoters to attract more investors.

Wylie Aronow, a co-founder of Yuga Labs, took a leave of absence in January to prioritize his health after being diagnosed with congestive heart failure. It is unknown when he will be able to resume his responsibilities.

Kieran Warwick, a co-founder of the blockchain role-playing game Illuvium, stated that Yuga Labs’ recruit is “huge for all of GameFi,” implying that Web3 gaming will ignite the next crypto bull run.