Activision Blizzard is now still part of Microsoft after the deal was approved. It is now time for current CEO Bobby Kotick to leave.
Publisher Activision Blizzard has been led for many years by CEO Bobby Kotick, who was also heavily involved in the company’s takeover by Microsoft. The $68.7 billion deal was in limbo for a long time because a number of market regulators around the world did not want to give the green light so easily and Micros oft demanded various deals with competitors and concessions.
In the end, after many months of legal disputes, things worked out and Activision Blizzard now belongs to Microsoft. As a result, Kotick is also saying goodbye and will be leaving his position as CEO of the publisher at the end of the year. His last day in this leadership position will be December 29, 2023, after which Microsoft’s studio head Matt Booty will take over the management of Activision Blizzard.
This is definitely a big turning point for Activision Blizzard, after all, Bobby Kotick led the company’s fortunes for a whopping 32 years. While Microsoft’s management team at Activision Blizzard will essentially remain intact, several other senior executives will also be leaving; This includes, for example, Chief Communications Officer Lulu Cheng Meservey in January.
As far as changes are being made, Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently announced this in an internal memo to the workforce, for example The Verge
Microsoft had previously restructured the gaming segment in October of this year. At that time, Booty was appointed President of Game Content and Studios, Sarah Bond became Xbox President and has been overseeing the Xbox business ever since.
Bobby Kotick joined Activision in 1991 and has led the company through several key moments in its history. This includes the merger with Vivendi Games in 2008, which laid the foundation for today’s Activision Blizzard. In 2016, they acquired King, one of the largest players in the field of mobile gaming. However, not all that glitters was gold, as Kotick was criticized for his leadership role when Activision Blizzard was at the center of a scandal surrounding sexual harassment and workplace discrimination. This legal dispute was recently concluded with Activision Blizzard promising $55 million in damages to the affected women in the company.
Of course, Kotick himself is still making his departure from Activision Blizzard gilded because, according to financial documents, Microsoft will give him at least $15 million when he leaves – regardless of the fact that he continues to hold a large amount of company shares in Activision Blizzard.