The head of Blizzard is stepping down. CEO Bobby Kotick will soon have his last working day and then make way for new things.
For many years it has been demanded, and now it is finally happening: The CEO of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick, is packing his bags and leaving the company for good. His last working day is December 29, 2023, after 33 years at Blizzard. This marks the start of a new era at Blizzard, now under the leadership of Microsoft.
Why is Bobby Kotick leaving? With Microsoft’s acquisition, it was clear that Bobby Kotick would lose his position. When the deal was finalized, he announced that he would only work as CEO until the “end of the current year” to ensure a smooth merger with Microsoft.
Kotick had already faced massive criticism before. Many employees even staged protests to get rid of him sooner. However, he decided to stay until the end of the transition and leave the company only afterward.
Who will be the new head? The position of CEO of Activision Blizzard does not currently seem to be filled. The other executives, such as Blizzard President Mike Ybarra or Activision Publishing President Rob Kostich, will now report to Matt Booty. He is the “Game Content and Studios President” of Microsoft.
This is how the community viewed Bobby Kotick: Especially in recent years, Bobby Kotick has had a rather negative reputation among the community of various Blizzard games. Whether in the official forums or on the subreddit – essentially every negative decision, layoffs, and changes to monetizations were attributed to him. Whenever there was money to be spent, “Bobby needs a new yacht” memes rained down, fueled by the massive bonus payments he received over the years.
At the same time, there were also many controversies surrounding Kotick. On the one hand, he allegedly threatened an employee, and on the other hand, under his leadership, the major sexism and discrimination scandal occurred at Blizzard. Reports were not taken seriously and important documents were shredded or not made available to the authorities.
Broadly speaking, the opinion in the community (for example, in the WoW subreddit) can probably be summarized as “Finally, he’s gone.”
Whether things will now turn for the better at Blizzard, now under the auspices of Microsoft, remains to be seen. At least some games, such as World of Warcraft, are on a good path, while there is still room for improvement for others.
What is your opinion on Kotick’s departure?
