“I hope I don’t see him in the industry anymore,” the head of Activision Blizzard resigns. A departure that heralds many changes for the video game industry

Gaming News “I hope I don’t see him in the industry anymore,” the head of Activision Blizzard resigns. A departure that heralds many changes for the video game industry

After 33 years as CEO of Activision (later Activision-Blizzard-King), Bobby Kotick will leave his position on December 29, 2023. The news was announced Communique, published December 20th. “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to work with (the men and women of the company) as we have broadened the appeal of gaming,” it said. Kotick believes that perhaps the most important part of his job was “helping talented people come together” and providing them with the best possible resources and an environment that fosters “inspiration, creativity and an unwavering commitment to excellence.” A final sentence that resonates in a strange way. In 2021, Activison was the subject of controversy – and a lawsuit – over widespread discrimination and sexual harassment. With all this, The CEO was accused of suppressing this intolerable behavior. He even directly threatened to have an employee murdered.

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An expected exit

The departure of Bobby Kotick is therefore somewhere expected, even widely expected, since 2022 and the announcement of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. At the time, the man stated that Xbox big boss Phil Spencer had asked him to stay in his position until the end of 2023. With two days to go, the mission was accomplished for a notable figure in the industry, between controversy and outrageous success. We have Kotick to thank for the Call of Duty madness, one of the most profitable licenses in the industry. In a memo (The edge) Spencer praised Bobby’s “invaluable contributions” to the industry.

New “ABK”

To mark the occasion, Microsoft has overhauled the Activision-Blizzard-King organizational chart… Instead of appointing a replacement for Bobby Kotick, the publisher’s executives – Mike Ybarra, Rob Kostich, Thomas Tippl – are now under the leadership of Matt Booty, president for gaming content and studios at Microsoft! Booty takes over responsibility for Bethesda, ABK and the Xbox teams.

For the rest, we note some departures that will not mean much to the general public, such as that of the communications director Lulu Meservey or the vice president of the publishing house, Humam Sakhnini… Note that Jill Braff, who works from Nintendo, SEGA and Warner Bros. named head of ZenixMax studios | Bethesda and will lead their development teams. Basically, in the future we are waiting for the integration of Activison games into Xbox Game Pass, planned for 2024.