End of an Era: Bobby Kotick Departs as CEO of Activision Blizzard After 32 Years

3 January 2024 at 14:02 in Gaming News with no comments

It’s the end of an era as Bobby Kotick has officially departed Activision Blizzard after 32 years as the gaming giant’s controversial CEO.

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Key Facts

  • Bobby Kotick has stepped down as CEO of Activision Blizzard.
  • His resignation sees his 32-year tenure as CEO come to an end.
  • Accusations and allegations of sexual harassment within the company mar his legacy.

BOBBY KOTICK: ACTIVISION BLIZZARD CEO OFFICIALLY STEPS DOWN

 

The new year begins with Activision Blizzard and CEO Bobby Kotick departing after 32 years together at the gaming industry’s top. Throughout his tenure, Kotick oversaw the rise of one of the biggest video game giants and a few controversies that will leave lasting marks on his legacy.

Bobby Kotick

32 YEARS OF BOBBY KOTICK: A TIMELINE AS ACTIVISION BLIZZARD CEO

 

Bobby Kotick stepped down as Activision Blizzard CEO on December 29, 2023, after 32 years as the head of the gaming company.

After purchasing a stake in Activision in 1991, Kotick took on the role of CEO and guided the company to the top of the industry, with Activision developing or publishing games like MechWarrior, Alien Vs Predator, Quake II, Call of Duty, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.

In 2008, Activision merged with another gaming giant, Blizzard Entertainment, with the company becoming Activision Blizzard. Kotick would be CEO of the new venture until he left in December 2023.

But in the last few years, Kotick has come under a lot of pressure and criticism for the handling, or lack of handling, of sexual harassment claims in 2021. After suing Activision in July 2021, the state of California accused Kotick and the company of allowing a culture of unwanted comments and physical touching of female employees by male employees.

Those accusations made Kotick one of the most hated men within the industry, and for many, his stepping down from CEO after Microsoft’s record-breaking $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision is a step in the right direction for the company and gaming.

A brief timeline of Bobby Kotick’s role of Activision CEO

  • 1991: Kotick buys a third of Mediagenic (formerly Activision) stock and becomes CEO. The company had the rights to publish games from developers such as Infocom and Cyan Worlds – the team behind the legendary Myst series of games.
  • 1992: Mediagenic changed its name back to Activision. This would be a massive turning point for Bobby Kotick and the company, as investments would soon follow.
  • 1993: Activision manages to raise roughly $40 million in investment and is listed on the NASDAQ under ATVI.
  • 1995: The company reaches its four-year 50% growth in revenue targets and sets about developing high-quality and high-demand games.
  • 1997: Heavy Gear releases to critical acclaim. The pen-and-paper-based war game translates well into a video game, and GameSpot calls it the best FPS game ever. This year also saw Activision begin acquiring developers, with an estimated 25 acquired within the next ten years – this includes Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Neversoft, and Raven Software.
  • 2003: Call of Duty is released, setting a new standard for the FPS genre with more than 425 million copies sold in the last twenty years.
  • 2006: Activision purchased RedOctane, the team behind Guitar Hero, for almost $100 million. Today, the series has earned more than $2 billion in revenue.
  • 2008: Kotick oversees the merger between Activision and Vivendi Games, the parent company of Blizzard Entertainment. The merger sees World of Warcraft and Diablo join the Activision catalog with the new company named Activision Blizzard. The company is worth $18.9 billion – $4 billion more than second spot Electronic Arts (EA).
  • 2009: Activision Publishing established Sledgehammer Games to release a Call of Duty-esque title in space led by Glen Schofield, the co-creator of Dead Space. The new company is ultimately passed onto Infinity Ward to help with CoD. Kotick also helps fund an organization that has helped over 125,000 veterans find new jobs.
  • 2010: StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is released. It redefines the RTS genre and becomes the most-watched video game in the world.
  • 2011: The Global StarCraft League (GSL) is launched with the help of Justin.tv (Twitch). Kotick also stars in Moneyball with Brad Pitt.
  • 2012: Diablo 3 is released on PC. It would later be released on consoles a year later. It’s a smash hit and still one of the most loved games in the Activision Blizzard library.
  • 2014: Free-to-play CCG Hearthstone launches. It takes the world by storm, and it takes just four years for it to reach 100 million players.
  • 2016: Activision Blizzard continues redefining genres as Overwatch releases, claiming over 100 awards, including Game of the Year.
  • July 2021: The state of California sued Activision Blizzard after a two-year investigation that found the company harbored a toxic workplace culture and ignored accusations of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct.
  • August 2021: Activision Blizzard employees form a coalition demanding change. Several high-ranking company employees leave, including Blizzard Head of HR.
  • October 2021: Blizzard announces the new name for Overwatch hero McCree will be Cole Cassidy.
  • November 2021: A Wall Street Journal report accuses Bobby Kotick of being aware of reported misconduct at the company and ignoring accusations. Company employees sign a petition demanding his removal as CEO. It receives over 1,000 signatures.
  • January 2022: Microsoft announces a plan to acquire Activision Blizzard for a record-breaking $68.7 billion. Xbox boss Phil Spencer promises changes.
  • May 2022: New York officials file a complaint alleging Kotick and the rest of the board have affected the company’s value with their actions or lack of action. The rest of the year sees many companies owned by Activision Blizzard form unions.
  • 2023: Diablo 4 becomes Blizzard’s fastest-selling game of all time, reaching over 10 million players in its first month and generating $666 million in sales in just five days.
  • October 2023: Microsoft completes the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
  • December 29, 2023: Bobby Kotick leaves Activision Blizzard.

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD EMPLOYEES SPEAK AFTER BOBBY KOTICK EXIT

 

Bobby Kotick’s resignation as CEO of Activision Blizzard has seen many former employees speak out, with many breaking their silence on their experiences working for the company under his leadership.

activision blizzard employees protest

Many, like Christina Pollock, have taken to X (Twitter) to express their delight and claim that Kotick is why many games like Overwatch are not reaching their potential. Speaking on X, Christina posted, “In my first month it came out he threatened to have an employee killed,” referring to a 2006 incident that Kotick says he “regrets,” and went on to say that “we all need to revolt against people like this, every time.”

In another post, Andy Belford, an Activision Blizzard community developer manager, claims Kotick refused the Overwatch 2 team resources and put it on Steam to fail. Andy said on X, “Management was too busy reacting to wildly vacillating direction and decisions that made zero sense.”

Xbox boss Phil Spencer released an internal memo thanking Kotick for his decades of service, saying, “I’d like to thank Bobby—for his invaluable contributions to this industry, his partnership in closing the Activision Blizzard acquisition, and his collaboration following the close—and I wish him and his family the very best in his next chapter.”

Although, at the moment, there are no immediate changes expected to the leadership and management teams at Activision Blizzard, there are expected to be several changes in the coming months.

With Microsoft expected to release Activision and Blizzard games on the Xbox Game Pass, Kotick’s resignation as CEO may coincide with what could prove to be a monumental moment in gaming. One that could have a lasting impact not just on PC gaming, but on consoles.

BOBBY KOTICK: UNFORGETTABLE LEGACY OR UNFORGIVABLE TENURE?

 

When talking about Activision Blizzard, you have to talk about Bobby Kotick; the same is true the other way around. Kotick and Activision have been at the top of the industry for decades, creating lasting memories for those of us who played their games.

Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Spyro, StarCraft, Warcraft, and Crash Bandicoot are just a few of the legendary games and characters to come from the company. And yet, the controversies of the last few years have gone a long way to undo the reputation Activision and Blizzard have built.

With Microsoft having acquired the company and Bobby Kotick no longer as CEO, there’s hope for a positive future. All eras come to an end, and as a new one begins, it brings fresh ideas, new journeys, and a promise of new memories.

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By Daniel Burrows Daniel

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