- Longtime Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick steps down from his role and will leave the company on December 29, 2023.
- Activision Blizzard was acquired by Microsoft in a $68.7 million merger deal earlier this year.
- The company was criticized for its toxic work culture, harassment, and discrimination during Bobby's leadership stint.
Longtime Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is stepping down from the company on December 29, 2023, according to the Activision Newsroom. In a memo, Spencer mentions other leadership changes in the company and how they will impact clarity or accountability. This news comes two months after Activision Blizzard bagged a $68.7 million Microsoft deal.
In a December note, this Wednesday initially reported via The Verge, Activision revealed a mail by Kotick to everyone that talks about his 32-year run at the company, where he brought some amazing game titles to fruition. Some of the major game titles Activision has made since Bobby Kotick joined are Call of Duty, Diablo, and World of Warcraft.
“I cannot adequately express the pride I have in the people who continue to contribute to our success and all those who have helped throughout my 32 years leading this company. We are now part of the world’s most admired company. That isn’t an accident.” -Bobby Kotick
Kotick started as the Activision director and CEO in the year of 1991. Soon, in early 2008, he was crowned the CEO of Activision Blizzard when the company acquired Blizzard Studios.
Earlier this year, after the Microsoft merger deal, Kotick mentioned stepping down from his role by the end of 2023. As the year ends, Bobby Kotick also ends his email with “gratitude and appreciation…” and says, “As we move into our next exciting chapter, you could not be in better hands.”
Future of Activision Blizzard after Bobby Kotick
Bobby Kotick has been criticized for multiple issues at the company since the early 2010s. This has always given Activision a bad reputation among the gaming fans. Issues like toxic work culture, sexual harassment, discrimination, and pay disparity have been there for a while. Activision agreed to pay nearly $55 million to settle a California civil-rights lawsuit last week.
All those negative issues might come to an end as the new leadership takes over at the home of fan-favorite classics. The head of the Xbox role, Phil Spencer, says, “It’s still business as usual,” and according to him, the normal day’s work will look the same. He also thanked Bobby Kotick for his services to the company in a memo.
“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” – Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox
As there are no announcements for Bobby’s replacement, some of the executives are reporting to Matt Booty, president of gaming content and studios at Microsoft, for now. It is to be seen if the company improves on its toxic work culture, morals, and ethics.
But for now, we also bid goodbye to Bobby Kotick for his work as a CEO for some of our favorite Activision Blizzard game titles. Tell us what you think about the situation in the comments below.
