[UPDATE] Dual Universe's Novaquark Confirms Jean-Christophe No Longer Running Day-to-Day Operations

[UPDATE] We received additional information via email from the team confirming, among other things, Nicolas Granatino is the current President,

"Nicolas is indeed the president of Novaquark France, the change happened a few days ago I believe, it is mostly an administrative change. I am not sure of the exact date because there are publication deadlines (legal ones) that I am unaware of. 

The reason is outlined in the communication that we posted, and related to the new position of JC, that's all. With JC's new role, someone else needed to take over that position.

The role of a board member is fairly classic and no different from the one that other board members have in other companies, as representatives of the shareholders. JC held the position of CEO and Creative Director for the game and as such was involved on a day to day basis with creative decisions about the game, and the management of the company. As a board member (and shareholder), his role does not involve the daily management of the company any more. Honestly this is a fairly classic move for a startup company, one that happens regularly, as I'm sure you're aware."

Regarding the time it took to address the community, this was attributed to the Easter holiday with both Canadian and French offices being closed.

Original article below.

Novaquark, the developers behind space sandbox game Dual Universe, has seen a change in President if recent stock filings are to be believed. And it turns out that Founder Jean-Christophe is no longer running day-to-day operations.

So here’s what we know. There was a stock filing reported on Reddit (via Discord), but you can read the full listing here. After some Google Translate, we can see the President of Novaquark is listed as Nicolas Granatino,

“Societe.com has listed 3 establishments and 2 notable events over the past year. Nicolas GRANATINO, is president of the company NOVAQUARK.”

This is the interesting bit because up until this filing was disclosed, it was believed that Novaquark’s President was Jean-Christophe Baillie as he had been for years. He’s also the Founder. What becomes more interesting is heading over to the company’s LinkedIn which lists Jean-Christophe Baillie as Founder. Interestingly, there is no President listed.

Naturally, folks on Reddit have wondered if a buyout took place. However, there hadn’t been any word from Novaquark themselves. We reached out and asked them several questions. We wanted to know when the change in President occurred, and why this change occurred. We also asked if Jean-Christophe Baillie still has a functional role within Novaquark. Finally, we asked why this change in President was not addressed publicly.

Last evening, however, the team provided a statement on their forums. It explains that Jean-Christophe Baillie has transitioned from day-to-day operations to focus on being a board member. However, it does not outright mention Granatino by name. Here is their statement in full,

“Dear Noveans,

We would like to address the recent speculations that have arisen in our community, and openly disclose some changes that are happening at Novaquark.

First and foremost, Novaquark continues to be supported by its long term investors to allow it to launch Dual Universe in line with its original vision. It also puts us in a position to attract experienced talent to complement the team that’s already in place so that we can continue to improve the game.

Next week, we will share with you what we think our priorities should be for Dual Universe and how we hope to approach the development of the game with improved processes going forward.

An important change to note is that Jean-Christophe, the founder of Novaquark, has transitioned from the day-to-day management of the team to better focus on his position as a board member. Over the years since the creation of Novaquark, JC designed and set the standards for the structural and conceptual foundation of the game, and he feels now that a solid base is there for him to move forward as a strategic advisor. The recent changes in the administrative presidency of the company only reflect the transition of JC to his new role. We’re excited to have the team he has built deliver on his vision for the game.

Rest assured that Novaquark’s future is in good hands, and there is a strong partnership between our long-term investors and our team. We believe that the future is bright for the game and for the company, and we cannot wait to tell you where we want to take Dual Universe.

With our warmest regards,

The Novaquark team