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Dec 20, 2023 · Bobby Kotick is officially leaving Activision Blizzard on Dec. 29, after more than three decades as CEO of the gaming giant, following Microsoft’s $69 billion takeover of the company.
- Todd Spangler
Dec 20, 2023 · Activision Blizzard’s longtime CEO Bobby Kotick is exiting the video game company after 32 years, according to a statement, a move that comes a little more than two months after Activision ...
Dec 20, 2023 · Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has held the role for 32 years. But his last day is on Dec. 29 as he leaves from the company after Microsoft’s acquisition. Matt Booty will lead the ...
Dec 21, 2023 · The CEO of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick, is leaving the company before the end of the month. ... he thanked those who’ve contributed to building Activision into what it is today. He also ...
- Controversial CCO Lulu Meservey is also on the way out.
- Every Video Game Franchise Xbox Owns After Acquiring Activision Blizzard
By Rebekah Valentine
Updated: Dec 20, 2023 6:50 pm
Posted: Dec 20, 2023 6:49 pm
Bobby Kotick, the long-serving CEO of Activision Blizzard for the last 32 years, is officially stepping down on December 29 as part of an ongoing reorganization following the acquisition of the company by Microsoft.
In a note sent to employees and published on the Activision Blizzard newsroom, Kotick reflected on his long tenure running the publisher. Kotick has overseen Activision through over half of its lifespan, having become CEO just 12 years after its founding in 1979. He oversaw the company through numerous transformations, including the start and ultimate success of the Call of Duty franchise, the Guitar Hero era, the rise and fall of the toys-to-life genre, Activision's merger with Vivendi to become Activision Blizzard and later acquisition of Candy Crush maker King, and ultimately the acquisition of all of it by Microsoft earlier this year.
Kotick also oversaw the company through a period of time called out by the state of California in a 2021 lawsuit as encompassing widespread gender discrimination and gender-based pay inequality. Among the numerous accusations levvied against the company regarding its treatment of women include claims that Kotick knew about the accusations "for years" but did not actively address them. Just this week, the California Civil Rights Department reached a $54 million settlement with Activision Blizzard over these claims, finding that "no court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that: there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard," or that Activision Blizzard's board of directors including Kotick "acted improperly with regard to the handling of any instances of workplace misconduct."
Other changes include the departure of Blizzard and King VP Humam Sakhnini, and the promotion of Jill Braff to head of ZeniMax and Bethesda studios.
In Spencer's letter to employees about all these changes, he wrote:
For most of you, your day-to-day work will remain the same—it’s still business as usual in bringing more groundbreaking experiences to more players around the world. At the leadership level, these changes will provide the clarity and accountability that is necessary to achieve our ambitious goals and foster a culture that is welcoming, empowering, and committed to Gaming for Everyone. We have an exciting 2024 lineup of games across Activision, Bethesda, Blizzard, King and Xbox Game Studios, and I know that we all look forward to sharing more details with our player communities when the time is right.
This is the second significant reorganization announcement from Microsoft following the acquistion's closure. In October, Microsoft promoted Matt Booty to hepresident of gaming content and studios, including overseeing Zenimax and Bethesda, and it promoted Sarah Bond to president of Xbox.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Blogroll image credit: Loren Elliott/Getty Images
- Rebekah Valentine
Oct 13, 2023 · Oct 13, 2023, 1:51 PM UTC. Now that the Microsoft acquisition is complete, Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, is set to leave the company after the end of this year. In an email sent to ...
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Dec 20, 2023 · Kotick has been at the center of Activision Blizzard's years-long battle against lawsuits and allegations of harassment and a "frat boy" culture in which female employees endure regular sexual ...
