Vitality CEO Neo: looting and destruction have no place in protests

Team Vitality CEO and co-founder Fabien “Neo” Devide has commented on videos showing the ransacking of the organization’s Paris office, which also contains a computer club. He shared his view in a post on X, Cybersport.ru reported on Oct. 17.

Why V.Hive was built

Neo wrote that the V.Hive club grew out of a child’s dream. That child discovered esports and fell in love with computer clubs at a time when internet access was too expensive for every home to have it.

He said an hour at the club has cost €3.50 since opening, and that this was deliberate. According to Neo, Vitality wanted teenagers and people with small incomes to be able to come, play, meet and share their passion cheaply. He added that the club never raised its prices despite inflation.

Neo also described V.Hive as a symbol of the organization’s maturity. He said it was meant to show that esports is experienced beyond the screen as well, bringing people together and creating memories and human connections.

Neo on the protests

Neo said his dream came true in Shanghai that day, but that from thousands of kilometers away he watched a part of himself vanish in smoke.

On the protests, Neo said the right to protest is the foundation of a freedom he will defend all his life, and he thanked people who mobilize for their convictions. Looting and destruction, however, should never be part of such confrontations, he said. Neo ended the post by saying he was simply very sad that evening.

What happened to the office

Cybersport.ru reported that the Team Vitality office was ransacked on Oct. 17 during protests in Paris. According to the outlet, rioters smashed windows, burned part of the property and carried off trophies and PC components.