Latest news with #FinalFantasyVIIRebirth
Express Tribune
24-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Discord appoints Humam Sakhnini as CEO amid IPO preparation and gaming strategy shift
Discord has named Humam Sakhnini, former Vice Chairman of Activision Blizzard, as its new CEO, the company announced on April 23. The leadership transition comes as the platform is reportedly preparing for a potential initial public offering. Sakhnini, who also previously led mobile gaming company King—maker of Candy Crush—brings significant experience from the gaming industry. His appointment reflects Discord's strategic shift back to its gaming roots, a move the company emphasised in its official press release. Originally popular among gamers, Discord has grown into a full-fledged social platform with over 200 million monthly active users—a scale that now drives its push toward monetization. Jason Citron, Discord's co-founder and CEO for the past 13 years, will step down from his executive role but remain involved as a board member and advisor. In a statement to VentureBeat, Citron said he looks forward to a break after years of building the company and hopes to spend time gaming, naming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Blue Prince, and Baldur's Gate III as titles on his list. Discord's recent focus on advertising and micro-transactions as revenue streams has raised eyebrows among its core user base. Given Sakhnini's background in mobile gaming—an industry heavily reliant on such monetization strategies—some longtime Discord users may worry about a shift toward more corporate, profit-driven practices. Citron's connection with TechCrunch dates back to 2013, when he was a finalist at its Startup Battlefield competition. Although his multiplayer iPad game didn't achieve commercial success, it eventually led to the founding of Discord in 2015. Sakhnini's appointment signals Discord's intention to double down on its gaming identity as it prepares for a new era—potentially as a publicly traded company.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Discord's CEO says he's stepping down, and these 3 major video game titles are at the top of his to-play list
Jason Citron is the cofounder and CEO of the messaging platform, Discord. Citron is stepping down as CEO and handing over the reins to a former Activision Blizzard executive. Citron said he has a backlog of three games that he wants to complete after stepping down. Discord cofounder Jason Citron, 40, said on Wednesday that he will be stepping down as CEO of the messaging platform. "I'll be transitioning to a new role as board member and advisor, and continuing to support Discord through this next chapter," Citron wrote in an X post on Wednesday. "I'm incredibly proud of what we've built together — and even more excited for what's ahead." Citron told the tech news publication VentureBeat that he doesn't have any concrete post-retirement plans lined up, though he will be spending more time with his family and on gaming. "I don't have specific plans for myself. I'll maybe take a bit of a break to spend time with my kids," Citron said, adding there were three games on his to-play list. "I need to finish Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. I have a backlog. I want to play Blue Prince. I haven't even played Baldur's Gate III, believe it or not," Citron said. "Rebirth" is the 2024 sequel to the blockbuster "Final Fantasy VII" remake, a landmark release by the Japanese studio Square Enix. Meanwhile, "Baldur's Gate III," a fantasy adventuring game based loosely on "Dungeons & Dragons" mechanics, was released in August 2023 to wide acclaim. "Blue Prince," meanwhile, is a mystery and puzzle adventure game in which the player traverses a family estate in an attempt to find the ever-elusive 46th room. Discord said in a statement on the same day that the former vice chairman of Activision Blizzard, Humam Sakhnini, will be taking over from Citron as CEO from April 28. Citron cofounded Discord in 2015 with Stanislav Vishnevskiy. "The job of a CEO is constantly evolving, and over the years I have continuously 'hired myself out of a job.' Usually, that means delegating work and then taking on different leadership challenges," Citron said in a blog post to Discord employees on Wednesday. "However, as I look at what is needed of Discord's CEO over the next few years, I realize that it's time for me to literally 'hire myself out of a job,'" Citron continued. Citron said in his interview with VentureBeat that his decision to step back was based on who could "take Discord to the next level." "As you know, I'm more of a builder, an early-stage kind of guy," Citron said. Citron's departure sets him apart from most young tech founders who have continued to captain the companies they founded. Mark Zuckerberg, 40, continues to helm Meta, the social media company he cofounded in 2004. Evan Spiegel, 34, cofounded Snapchat in 2011 and remains its CEO. When approached for comment, a representative for Discord pointed Business Insider to Citron's blog and X posts. Read the original article on Business Insider Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Insider
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Discord's CEO says he's stepping down, and these 3 major video game titles are at the top of his to-play list
Discord cofounder Jason Citron, 40, said on Wednesday that he will be stepping down as CEO of the messaging platform. "I'll be transitioning to a new role as board member and advisor, and continuing to support Discord through this next chapter," Citron wrote in an X post on Wednesday. "I'm incredibly proud of what we've built together — and even more excited for what's ahead." Citron told the tech news publication VentureBeat that he doesn't have any concrete post-retirement plans lined up, though he will be spending more time with his family and on gaming. "I don't have specific plans for myself. I'll maybe take a bit of a break to spend time with my kids," Citron said, adding there were three games on his to-play list. "I need to finish Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. I have a backlog. I want to play Blue Prince. I haven't even played Baldur's Gate III, believe it or not," Citron said. "Rebirth" is the 2024 sequel to the blockbuster "Final Fantasy VII" remake, a landmark release by the Japanese studio Square Enix. Meanwhile, "Baldur's Gate III," a fantasy adventuring game based loosely on "Dungeons & Dragons" mechanics, was released in August 2023 to wide acclaim. "Blue Prince," meanwhile, is a mystery and puzzle adventure game in which the player traverses a family estate in an attempt to find the ever-elusive 46th room. Discord said in a statement on the same day that the former vice chairman of Activision Blizzard, Humam Sakhnini, will be taking over from Citron as CEO from April 28. Citron cofounded Discord in 2015 with Stanislav Vishnevskiy. "The job of a CEO is constantly evolving, and over the years I have continuously 'hired myself out of a job.' Usually, that means delegating work and then taking on different leadership challenges," Citron said in a blog post to Discord employees on Wednesday. "However, as I look at what is needed of Discord's CEO over the next few years, I realize that it's time for me to literally 'hire myself out of a job,'" Citron continued. Citron said in his interview with VentureBeat that his decision to step back was based on who could "take Discord to the next level." "As you know, I'm more of a builder, an early-stage kind of guy," Citron said. Citron's departure sets him apart from most young tech founders who have continued to captain the companies they founded. Mark Zuckerberg, 40, continues to helm Meta, the social media company he cofounded in 2004. Evan Spiegel, 34, cofounded Snapchat in 2011 and remains its CEO. When approached for comment, a representative for Discord pointed Business Insider to Citron's blog and X posts.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Discord appoints former Activision Blizzard exec Humam Sakhnini as CEO
Amid rumors that the company is eyeing an IPO, Discord appointed former Activision Blizzard Vice Chairman Humam Sakhnini as CEO. Discord co-founder Jason Citron will leave his CEO role after 13 years at the company. Discord straddles the gaming and social media spaces -- despite its initial emergence as a platform for online multiplayer gamers to communicate, it has become a prominent social media platform in its own right, growing to over 200 million monthly active users. The company's choice to appoint a new CEO from within the gaming industry signals that it sees its future more so in gaming than in social networking. Discord noted in its press release that the company has "refocused on its gaming roots" to explore monetization opportunities in advertising and micro-transactions. But advertising and micro-transactions aren't exactly music to gamers' ears. The appointment of Sakhnini, along with its impending IPO, may make fans wary that the company may move in a more corporate, profit-hungry direction. Sakhnini was also CEO of the Activision Blizzard-owned King, a mobile gaming developer that makes games like Candy Crush, which thrive on ads and micro-transactions. Citron will remain involved with Discord as an advisor to the CEO and a member of the board of directors. Citron looks forward to taking a break after 13 years of running a rapidly-growing startup. He told Venture Beat that he wants to play Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Blue Prince, and Baldur's Gate III.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Game Developers Choice Awards 2025 Names ‘Balatro' Game Of The Year — Complete Winners List
LocalThunk's Balatro, developed by Playstack, was deemed a royal flush as it was crowned Game of the Year at the 25th Game Developers Choice Awards. Handed out on Wednesday at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Balatro also snagged wins for Best Design, Best Debut and the Innovation Award. Other winners included Astro Bot, which won Best Audio and Best Technology. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth garnered a win for the Audience Award while the Best Narrative went to Metaphor: ReFantazio. Black Myth: Wukong and Astro Bot came into the ceremony with a leading seven nominations apiece. Baldur's Gate 3 dominated last year's GDC Awards, taking three awards, including Game of the Year. More from Deadline Game Awards Names 'Astro Bot' Game Of The Year - Complete Winners List The Game Award Nominations: 'Final Fantasy VII Rebirth' Slices Its Way To Leading Seven Nominations Harvey Fierstein Says He's "Banned" From Kennedy Center Amid Trump Takeover: "How Freedom Ends" This year's Game Developers Choice Awards honored indie developer Lucas Pope known for cult hit puzzle games Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn, with the Pioneer Award. Another honoree also included Remedy Entertainment's creative director Sam Lake, fresh off of numerous industry wins for the critically praised Alan Wake II, with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Reflecting on his three decades in the industry, he offered advice to his fellow gaming peers and developers in training. 'It's important to find your team, your unique voice to stand out and go where your passion takes you. Trust your vision. Be patient with this, but stay true to it and keep pushing forward, but also always be a team player. Always listen to the good ideas from the talented people around you and find ways to incorporate those ideas in a way that compliments your ideas. Hide in as much art as you can get away with. This is your vital secret mission,' the Finnish director continued. 'Art is what makes you excited, what gives you joy and what makes you proud. Roll with the punches when you face an obstacle and you have to change your ideas, take it to mean you've been now given an opportunity to come up with something even cooler and better. I feel that we are easily laced with our initial ideas. Obstacles force us to be creative and something creative can come out of that and often does.' Here are the winners of the 2025 GDC Awards: Best Audio Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment) Honorable Mentions: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive), Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero), Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital), Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Teams SA / KONAMI) Best Debut Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack) Honorable Mentions: Manor Lords (Slavic Magic / Hooded Horse), Mullet Madjack (HAMMER95 / Epopeia Games), The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures / Devolver Digital), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light) Best Design Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack) Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Grezzo, Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development / Nintendo), UFO 50 (Mossmouth) Innovation Award Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack) Honorable Mentions: Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive), Thank Goodness You're Here! (Coal Supper /Panic), The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures / Devolver Digital), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light) Best Narrative Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero) Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix), Frostpunk 2 (11 bit studios), Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix), Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital), Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios) Best Technology Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment) Honorable Mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso/ Bigmode), Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Threyarch, Raven Software, Beenox, High Moon Studios, Activision Shanghai, Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, Demonware /Activision), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco Studios Inc / Bandai Namco Entertainment) Best Visual Art Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science) Honorable Mentions: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware Inc. / Bandai Namco Entertainment), Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light), Ultros (Hadoque / Kepler Interactive) Social Impact Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix) Honorable Mentions: Closer the Distance (Osmotic Studios / Skybound Games), Distant Bloom (Ember Trail / Kina Brave), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts), Tales of Kenzera: Zau (Surgent Studios / Electronic Arts) Game of the Year Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack) Honorable Mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / SEGA), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), UFO 50 (Mossmouth) Best of Deadline 'The Last Of Us' Season 2 New Cast: Who Is Joining The Next Installment?
