BAYC creator Yuga Labs completes restructuring to focus on metaverse

Yuga Labs, a company behind the major nonfungible token (NFT) project, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), has completed restructuring amid the ongoing challenges in the industry.

Yuga Labs CEO Daniel Alegre took to X (formerly Twitter) on Oct. 17 to report that the company has finalized its restructuring that was announced in early October.

โ€œWe now begin the task of refining the focus with our new team configurations,โ€ Alegre said, reiterating that the company will prioritize the execution of Otherside, a gamified and interoperable metaverse project that Yuga started in March 2022.

Alegre emphasized that building an โ€œimmersive metaverseโ€ platform is hard both technically and creatively, adding:

โ€œOtherside is a very important bet for Yuga and when our creative team brought the concept for Meetropolis up to my leadership team, making it a tentpole experience for Otherside felt like a slam dunk.โ€™”

Yuga Labs co-founder Greg Solano previously announced the companyโ€™s restructuring on Oct. 6, stating that Yuga โ€œneeded to make some changesโ€ in order to ensure that itโ€™s set up for long term success.

โ€œWith this reorg, Yuga is still over 120 employees, and is focused on specific priorities,โ€ Solano said. He didnโ€™t specify how many people had to leave Yuga Labs as part of the restructuring.

Yuga Labs CEO Alegre also assured that his top priority during restructuring was to โ€œensure that those leaving Yuga are treated with the respect and gratitude they deserve.โ€ He claimed that Yugaโ€™s transition package included โ€œgenerous severance,โ€ the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act coverage, and assistance in finding new job opportunities. The CEO added:

โ€œIt’s a challenging time, not only for our industry but also for the global economy. […] The restructure today impacts U.S. team members, and we are actively reviewing the impact on our international teams.โ€

Yuga Labs did not immediately respond to Cointelegraphโ€™s request for comment.

Related: Microsoftโ€™s Activision buy may see more metaverse in the office and crypto in gaming

The news comes amid a U.S. appeals court on Oct. 16 expressing skepticism about an attempt to dismiss Yuga Labsโ€™ trademark lawsuit against artist Ryder Ripps over his copies of Yuga’ BAYC NFTs.

Previously, a group of BAYC investors in August 2023 filed a class-action lawsuit against Yuga Labs and fine arts auction house Sotheby, alleging that the auction house helped Yuga Labs โ€œdeceptively promoteโ€ the NFT collection.

Magazine: Web3 Gamer: Minecraft bans Bitcoin P2E, iPhone 15 & crypto gaming, Formula E