Tag: Global

Singapore – Tech giant Microsoft has announced that it will be laying off 1,900 employees at Activision Blizzard and Xbox, with primarily layoffs occurring at Activision Blizzard, and some Xbox and ZeniMax employees getting affected by the cuts, according to reports from The Verge.

Occurring just after Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the company has decided to proceed with the layoffs to follow a sustainable cost structure plan that will support the growth of the business.

Alongside the layoffs, Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard, and Allen Adham, chief design officer at Blizzard, have both decided to leave the company, with a new president being appointed by Microsoft for the following week. 

Blizzard’s previously announced survival game has also been cancelled as part of these changes. Addressing this, Microsoft said that it will be “shifting some of the people working on it to one of several promising new projects Blizzard has in the early stages of development.”

Talking about the layoffs, Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft, said, “As we move forward in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is committed to aligning on a strategy and an execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will support the whole of our growing business. As part of this process, we have made the painful decision to reduce the size of our gaming workforce by approximately 1900 roles out of the 22,000 people on our team.” 

“The people who are directly impacted by these reductions have all played an important part in the success of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and the Xbox teams, and they should be proud of everything they’ve accomplished here. We are grateful for all of the creativity, passion and dedication they have brought to our games, our players and our colleagues. We will provide our full support to those who are impacted during the transition, including severance benefits informed by local employment laws,” he added. 

Notably, these layoffs come just a few months after some big Xbox leadership changes saw Sarah Bond promoted to Xbox president, leading all Xbox platform and hardware work. Matt Booty was also promoted to president of game content and studios, which includes overseeing Bethesda, ZeniMax studios, and Activision Blizzard.

Furthermore, it is also worth noting that these layoffs occur at the same month as with Riot Games, Google, Discord, Twitch, Unity, and eBay, among others.

Global – Storyblok, the content management system (CMS) in its category, has formed a partnership with Lokalise, an AI-powered translations and automatic localisation company. Through the partnership, AI-powered translations can be integrated into a site in order to localise content for users.

Companies like CoachHub use the Lokalise integration to quickly translate material in Storyblok into many languages, saving them 25% of the time they would otherwise spend on content management. 

The partnership comes in line with the ongoing issue where companies are able to interact with clients globally, but most fail to make meaningful connections because they don’t prioritise localisation. Around 500 marketers participated in a global survey conducted by Storyblok, which revealed that 79% of businesses only use their CMS to distribute content in one to three languages. Remarkably, the largest percentage (35%) limits the language in which their content is published. 

Concurrently, 43% of participants indicated that translating and localising content is important, while only 7% said it is not important. Around 81%of participants agreed that publishing information in multiple languages would improve their client acquisition efforts. Of those, 44% said it would be very helpful for their efforts.

AI is seen as essential in the endeavour to convert the need for localization into concrete outcomes, as demonstrated by the 90% of participants who said that they would be open to exploring its application for multilingual content translation within their content management system. By integrating AI-powered translations straight into the CMS, the Storyblok and Lokalise integration makes this shift easier.

Petr Antropov, co-Founder of Lokalise, said, “It’s fascinating to see the size of the gap between companies that offer their products and services in only one language (35% of the survey’s participants), and, say, half of Lokalise’s 3500 customers that run their offers in eight or more languages. Thanks to recent technological developments which made localisation no longer a challenge but an opportunity, that gap will not stay for long, and we’re excited to play a part in the change.” 

Meanwhile, Barry D’Arcy, VP of partners at Storyblok, said, “Enterprises understand the value of translating their content, but many fail to prioritise it because the path forward appears to be unclear or overly complicated. Our partnership with Lokalise makes translation and localisation a natural part of content workflows. 2024 should be the year that more businesses finally take multilingual content experiences seriously.” 

California, United States –  Riot Games, an American video game company, has announced they will cut off 11% of their staff around the world as they make critical adjustments for the future of the company.

In a company announcement, CEO of Riot Games Dylan Jadeja and co-founder and chief product officer Marc Merrill stated that they will be eliminating around 530 roles globally to refocus on fewer, high-impact projects that will sustain them moving forward while cutting investments on those projects that do not make any more impact.

Employees outside the Riot’s core development teams are among those who will be affected most by the massive layoffs.

Riot also disclosed the email sent to their employees worldwide. In the email, Dylan apologised to the employees and took accountability for the sudden changes that the company is undergoing at the moment.

“Over the past several months, we’ve tried to alter our trajectory in many different ways. We asked leaders to make tradeoffs in the things their teams are working on. We rolled out hiring slowdowns and, in some cases, hiring freezes. We put an emphasis on controlling costs while strengthening our revenue growth. All of which has without a doubt been tough for our teams,” wrote Dylan in the email.

The email also included the fees and other support that Riot will offer to those whose roles are included in the layoffs.

However, aside from cutting staff, Riot Games also announced they would make changes to the games they’ve been developing so far.

The company will be placing their commitment on their core live games, which are League of Legends, Valorant, Teamfight Tactics, and Wild Rift. Therefore, prioritise teams that can focus on the content, features, and updates that directly respond to these games.

However, Riot also decided to end the development of Riot Forge to refocus their efforts on the ambitious projects underway internally at the company.

They will also reduce the team designated for the development of their Legends of Runeterra game and instead shift their focus to The Path of Champions. The company deems this necessary as LoR has faced financial challenges since launch and the revenue it generates does not cover the cost of its development.

According to Dylan and Marc, “Our strategy moving forward is clear: we’re honing in on what we do best and what resonates most with you. Every endeavour, from development to storytelling to competition, will be crafted to deliver meaningful, memorable experiences with games at the centre.”

They added, “While change can bring uncertainty, it also presents opportunities for growth and innovation. We’re grateful for your ongoing support; nothing Riot has ever created would be possible without you. Your passion and engagement inspire us every day, and we’re excited to continue this journey together.”

The massive layoffs at Riot Games follow the line of widespread retrenchments in large companies and corporations in 2024. Alibaba Group’s Lazada also opened the year with sudden staff reductions in its offices in Southeast Asia, followed by multinational consumer goods company Unilever, which also announced a slew of layoffs in its Singapore office.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Vietjet Air has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with global travel service provider Trip.com Group to leverage both parties expertise and resources in making travel more convenient for travellers worldwide.

In this new collaboration, passengers will be able to easily access Trip.com Group’s products and services, such as hotels, airport transfers, attractions, and activities, on Vietjet Air’s official website.

Meanwhile, Vietjet Air will receive Trip.com’s innovative technologies, including its virtual interline solution, that can expand the airline’s global network footprint. Additionally, the travel service provider will impart valuable insights to Vietjet Air on optimising its customer experience.

The data integration initiative between both parties will enable customers to enjoy numerous benefits, such as loyalty programmes. The partnership allows members of Vietjet SkyJoy and Trip.com Rewards to accumulate reward points in exchange for gifts, flight tickets, and other incentives from various third-party products and services.

Vietjet Air and Trip.com’s MOU comes as both parties lay down their commitment to prioritising customer satisfaction by creating a seamless travel experience and offering a comprehensive range of travel content, products, and deals.

Yudong Tan, chief executive officer of flights at Trip.com Group, said, “We are delighted to partner with Vietjet Air, a leading low-cost airline, to offer travellers seamless experiences when planning and booking their trips with a comprehensive range of travel products and deals. We have worked with Vietjet on successful campaigns to promote Vietnam as a destination of choice for travellers, and we believe our mutual commitment to prioritising customer satisfaction is a testament to both companies’ customer centricity. We look forward to a fruitful partnership with Vietjet Air.”

Global – Havas has announced new leadership appointments, including Alberto Canteli, as chairman and CEO of Havas Nordics, Benelux, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, who will take on additional global duties. Rana Barua, as group CEO of Havas India, will now supervise South East and North Asia.

Barua, who is based in Mumbai, will take on further duties that will cover North and South East Asia. In his new role as group CEO for India, South East & North Asia, Barua’s duties have expanded to encompass overseeing nine more markets. 

Throughout his nearly three-decade career, Barua has spent the last five years overseeing Havas’ operations in India, which employ over 2,000 people across Havas Creative Network and Havas Media Network. 

Alberto Canteli, who is based in Dubai, will continue to lead Havas Nordics, Benelux, Central & Eastern Europe, and the Middle East as chairman and CEO. He will also take on additional duties, working with Donna Murphy, global CEO of Havas Creative Network and Havas Health & You, to supervise special projects. 

Canteli has changed its focus area to be the identification of global growth possibilities and the development of practical plans. This includes looking into potential new clients, growing the services offered, and supporting cross-selling campaigns. Canteli has been with Havas for a long time and has been in the company’s global expansion for more than 20 years. 

Speaking about his appointment, Barua expressed, “I am extremely excited and thankful to the global leadership team for entrusting me with this additional responsibility. These nine distinct markets in South East & North Asia, provide multiple and diverse occasions for collaboration for both our global and local clients. I look forward to working closely with the regional teams and each country’s leadership to create more meaningful engagements and opportunities for our talent and clients.” 

Meanwhile, Canteli said, “During moments like these of continued disruption and transformation, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to combine my regional responsibilities in Europe and the Middle East with a new role that will facilitate a closer collaboration with our global leadership team. AI, Web 3.0 and Blockchain among other advancements, will have a strong impact on our industry and it will be a privilege to contribute to the transformation and turnaround of our business moving forward.” 

Furthermore, Yannick Bolloré, chairman and global CEO, Havas, commented, “I would like to warmly congratulate Alberto and Rana on their new, expanded roles. Their proven leadership skills, vast expertise and innovative thinking will create new synergies and accelerate growth, allowing our teams to further build on Havas’ integrated approach and offer our clients the best possible outcomes.” 

Paris, France – Multinational advertising and public relations company Publicis Groupe kicked off 2024 with a one-to-one AI-powered New Year’s wish film sent to 100,000 of its employees worldwide.

In this project, a hundred thousand individually tailored films were sent to the company’s team members all over the world. Powered by AI, the campaign is a first-of-its kind experiment that pushes the boundaries of AI video creation, storytelling, and personalisation at scale.

The film contains a New Year’s message from Arthur Sadoun, Publicis Groupe’s chairman and CEO. However, in a unique twist, he is also joined by his AI twin, the AI Directoire+, and the AI double of Maurice Lévy, the chairman of the supervisory board of Publicis Groupe.

AI Carla embraces her sporty side in a thank-you message film with Arthur Sadoun for sports enthusiast team member Eva.

By utilising the company’s platform, Marcel, the team behind the campaign gathered and connected the information of all its employees at Publicis who have contributed to its growth and success. The personalised ‘thank you’ films were also crafted to align with the team members’ interests and passions.

AI Dave performs parkour and water sports to highlight Tony’s interest in this thank-you film with Arthur Sadoun.

Among those who got the unique thank-you film was Eva, a sport-loving Groupe managing partner living in Austria. In the film, chief strategy officer Carla Serrano’s AI double is seen mountain climbing and playing different types of sports while she and Arthur, with Eva’s name tattooed in his arms, deliver their thank-you message.

Gabi, an adventure-seeking business lead from Sao Paulo, also received the well wishes, this time from Arthur sipping coffee from a mug with Gabi’s name and Maurice wakeboarding.

Other thank-you films also featured some of Publicis Groupe’s top executives, including CEO of France Agathe Bousquet’s AI gaming and skateboarding, CEO of Publicis Sapient Nigel Vaz dancing, and CEO of Publicis Media Dave Penski doing parkour stunts.

This and the thousand more films were Publicis Groupe’s way to express their gratitude for those who were instrumental in growth as they secured their position in the market in 2023.

Global – Amplify, a global creative firm specialised in experience and culture, has stepped up to help Santa this holiday season. For years, the world’s most famous North Pole resident has evaded detection throughout his annual globe voyage. 

However, in the fast-paced world of intelligence and monitoring, the Amplify innovation team became concerned about an impending time when Santa could struggle to do his job without being caught.

Amplify’s internal innovation team has developed a prototype to solve one of Santa’s main concerns—preserving the joy of the holiday season—inspired by anti-surveillance apparel.

Version 1 was created with the global network of Amplify offices in mind, allowing Santa to elude facial recognition software on December 25th. The algorithms will be fooled, and he will be identified as a fox in London, a seagull in Australia, a rat in New York, and a raccoon in Los Angeles.

Speaking about the prototype, Amplify design team says, “Working with such an iconic figure present in so many cultures is an opportunity we couldn’t let go.”

Global – Google has announced that it will begin testing its ‘Tracking Protection,’ a new feature that limits cross-site tracking for Chrome users. This is a step in their ‘Privacy Sandbox’ program, which aims to phase out third-party cookies internationally by the second half of 2024, pending resolution of antitrust concerns from the UK’s antitrust and Markets Authority.

In a blog post by Anthony Chavez, vice president for Privacy Sandbox at Google, he notes that for nearly 30 years, third-party cookies have been necessary for the internet environment. While they can be used to monitor people’s online actions, websites have also made use of them to improve other aspects of the online experience, such making logins easier and showing relevant ads.

The company has also stated that they are taking an orderly approach to gradually removing third-party cookies from Chrome by deploying the Privacy Sandbox. New tools have been developed to aid websites in critical use cases, and developers have been given adequate time to adjust to the transition.

The initial release of Tracking Protection begins with a small fraction of Chrome users, allowing developers to test their readiness for a web environment free of third-party cookies.

Participants in the Tracking Protection program are chosen at random, and upon selection, notifications will be received when accessing Chrome on desktop or Android. As a result, while browsing the web, third-party cookies will be automatically disabled by default, limiting the ability to monitor individuals across several websites. 

“Google is dedicated to providing businesses with the resources they need to succeed online while maintaining the free and open access of high-quality content, such as community sites, videos, educational materials, news articles, and other web content types, for improving online privacy. By means of programs like Privacy Sandbox, Tracking Protection, and other features that Chrome has brought to the table, they continually work to make the internet a more private place that is open to all users,” Chavez stated.

Singapore – Integral Ad Science (IAS), the global media measurement and optimization platform, has announced an expansion of its measurement capabilities on YouTube. 

Through this, the business will introduce its industry brand safety and suitability measurement tool to advertisers for YouTube Shorts inventory, integrating it into the full Total Media Quality for YouTube product suite.

The Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) framework’s video-level transparency standards and adjacency standards will be upheld by IAS, which will provide brands with improved third-party assurance that their YouTube Shorts video ads are in line with appropriate and brand-safe content.

Total Media Quality for YouTube, within the scope of standards, gives advertisers access to brand safety and suitability indicators for impressions served on YouTube Shorts. This includes viewability and invalid traffic measurement on a global scale, as well as support for over 30 languages.

Additionally, an analytics dashboard specifically designed for YouTube advertisers is also introduced by IAS as part of its Brand Safety and Suitability evaluation. With the help of this tool, advertisers may create a customised suitability profile and examine trends in brand safety and compatibility through informative charts.

Speaking about the expansion, Lisa Utzschneider, CEO of IAS, said, “Since IAS launched Total Media Quality for YouTube earlier this year, we’ve been able to provide new levels of insight into video content for advertisers through our advanced AI-driven technology and expanded reporting capabilities.”

“With this expansion of our measurement capabilities on YouTube, we can bring marketers the most actionable data to maximise their safety on YouTube Shorts inventory – one of the fastest growing video formats in digital advertising,” she added. 

Global – Dentsu Creative’s 2024 Trends Report digs into the impact of optimism in an unpredictable future by combining the research and viewpoints of strategists, futurists, and innovators across its global network.

In an era of increased uncertainty about the future, “The Futures Less Traveled” urges brands and enterprises to use the opportunity to craft, innovate, and actively pursue the vision of the future they want to see. 

In addition to a number of sub-trends for more research, the paper explains five macro trends for 2024 and beyond. Every trend brings to light unexpected possibilities, such as the role that happiness plays in reducing worry, the power of narrative to effect change, and the capacity of profound local insights to promote linkages between disparate communities throughout the world.

Speaking about the report, Yasuharu Sasaki, global chief creative officer of Dentsu, said, “Against the backdrop of this uncertain world our report turns to hope as a deliberate choice, to empower us to take control and design our own futures. Through creativity, armed with the powers of technology and storytelling, we hold potential to pave ways for many exciting ‘Futures Less Traveled’, borne of core principles of optimism and ambition.” 

Meanwhile, Pats Mcdonald, chief strategy officer, EMEA, Dentsu Creative, said, “Hope is not a strategy but it is a choice. At a time of exponential change, no one can predict with certainty what the future will bring. But we can design for the future we want to see. We see consumers around the world taking control of a chaotic world through small but powerful acts of connection and self-care.”