‘It’s over’: Twitter France’s Head Quits amid Layoffs

A sign at Twitter headquarters is shown in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. (AP)
A sign at Twitter headquarters is shown in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. (AP)
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‘It’s over’: Twitter France’s Head Quits amid Layoffs

A sign at Twitter headquarters is shown in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. (AP)
A sign at Twitter headquarters is shown in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. (AP)

Twitter Inc's head of French operations, Damien Viel, said he was quitting the social media platform, whose new owner Elon Musk recently fired top executives and enforced steep job cuts at the company.

"It's over," Viel tweeted on Sunday, thanking his team in France, which he led for the last seven years.

Viel confirmed he was leaving Twitter in a separate message to Reuters.

He didn't elaborate on the circumstances of his departure and declined to say how many people Twitter employed in France either before or after Musk's takeover of the company last month.

Twitter has had a bumpy ride since Musk, the world's richest person, took charge.

It has cut staff by half, while Musk has raised the possibility of the social media platform going bankrupt.

He recently told employees to consider whether they wanted to stay on "working long hours at high intensity" or take a severance package of three months' pay.



Ubisoft Unveils ‘Creative Houses’ Model as First-Quarter Bookings Miss Expectations

The logo of Ubisoft is seen in Montreuil, near Paris, France, July 13, 2020. (Reuters)
The logo of Ubisoft is seen in Montreuil, near Paris, France, July 13, 2020. (Reuters)
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Ubisoft Unveils ‘Creative Houses’ Model as First-Quarter Bookings Miss Expectations

The logo of Ubisoft is seen in Montreuil, near Paris, France, July 13, 2020. (Reuters)
The logo of Ubisoft is seen in Montreuil, near Paris, France, July 13, 2020. (Reuters)

France's lead videogame maker Ubisoft announced on Tuesday a sweeping reorganization of its internal structure, shifting to autonomous "Creative Houses" tailored to specific gaming genres, as it reported first-quarter net bookings that fell short of expectations.

The company said in a call that the leadership of each Creative House would be selected based on specific gaming genres, and could include those from creative or technical backgrounds, as part of the new approach.

"These units will reflect our diverse types of gaming experiences and will allow for enhanced quality, focus, autonomy and accountability," CEO and co-founder Yves Guillemot said in a statement.

The first such unit, jointly owned with China's Tencent, will manage flagship franchises including Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Co-CEOs Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot will lead brand development across multiple platforms.

Ubisoft plans to roll out the full organizational changes by the end of the year.

The company reported first-quarter net bookings of 281.6 million euros ($305.7 million), missing its target of around 310 million euros and marking a 2.9% decline from the same period of last year.

It attributed the shortfall to a weaker-than-expected performance from the Rainbow Six Siege game and the delay of a partnership now expected in the second quarter.

Despite the miss, Ubisoft reiterated its full-year guidance and forecast second-quarter net bookings of approximately 450 million euros.

Upcoming releases include Anno 117: Pax Romana, a Prince of Persia remake, and mobile titles Rainbow Six Mobile and The Division Resurgence.