Bobby Kotick, the controversial CEO of Activision-Blizzard, allegedly intended to buy critical press media according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The aim was to improve the negative press regarding his company.
What is the background? There is still a quake going through the gaming world. The reason is the planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard by software giant Microsoft. In this context, various pieces of information about the background surrounding Activision Blizzard and its controversial CEO Bobby Kotick are coming to light.
Recently, the boss explained the reasons why they had to sell instead of acquiring publisher EA.
However, in an article in the Wall Street Journal, another rumor has surfaced. Bobby Kotick allegedly intended to simply buy critical gaming media.
Insiders claim Kotick wanted to buy Kotaku or PC Gamer
What is behind these plans? According to the Wall Street Journal, insiders close to Bobby Kotick have claimed that Kotick had these plans.
He allegedly had the idea of acquiring a site like PC Gamer or Kotaku. This was purportedly based on the idea of ensuring favorable press for Activision Blizzard.
Whether these plans had anything to do with the sexism scandal at Activision Blizzard is not known.
The scandal has caused and still causes negative headlines and loss of image. Furthermore, it is said that the company’s value fell so much because of this that Microsoft ultimately swooped in.
What is the truth behind these rumors? So far, there has been no evidence or positive feedback regarding the rumor that Kotick wanted to buy a site like PC Gamer or Kotaku. According to the Wall Street Journal, the claim was denied by a spokesperson for Activision Blizzard. The company behind Kotaku declined to comment, and PC Gamer has not yet responded to this claim.
Interestingly, 12 years ago, there was already an April Fools’ article on Kotaku claiming that the site was supposedly taken over by Bobby Kotick and then named “Koticku”.
Why is Bobby Kotick still under criticism? Even if the claim about the planned purchase of gaming sites remains just a rumor without official backing, Bobby Kotick is still under criticism. He allegedly knew about the allegations of sexual harassment in the company for a long time and even concealed them from the board. Therefore, many employees at Activision-Blizzard are also calling for his resignation.
