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Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

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Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#21
post #2

The most important question I have is: will they replace Bobby Kotick? EDIT: "Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard. [...] he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture." Shame on you, Microsoft.

Activision's value skyrocketed under Kotick, not sure why they would want to replace him.

[deleted]

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#23
post #5
post #2

The most important question I have is: will they replace Bobby Kotick? EDIT: "Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard. [...] he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture." Shame on you, Microsoft.

Can you supply some context to this denounciation?

There’s probably an essay that could be written to answer your question, but the short version is that Kotick is not a gamer, but an executive. He specialises in extracting maximum value from an existing property, everything else be damned.

For example, Activision had a successful franchise Call of Duty that did releases every 2 years or so. Kotick’s insight was that they could release one every year and basically print money. He was right. He then used that money to acquire Blizzard, a company that had many beloved franchises. He then applied those same principles to the running of Blizzard, to the point where the company releases half baked, buggy, awful excuses for games. An example of this is Warcraft III Reforged. They did it because re-releases of old games are a reliable way to monetise nostalgia.

And that’s just the somewhat justifiable part. Because making money is good, right? Shareholders love that shit.

What’s less defensible is the toxic work culture that was fostered under him, where sexual harassment was endemic. Of course he never saw the fallout of that. They fired some patsies and called it a day.

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#26
post #2

The most important question I have is: will they replace Bobby Kotick? EDIT: "Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard. [...] he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture." Shame on you, Microsoft.

Activision's value skyrocketed under Kotick, not sure why they would want to replace him.

I don’t think this acquisition is about stock value as much as it is about acquiring IP and games for MS game pass offering.

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#28
post #14
post #2

The most important question I have is: will they replace Bobby Kotick? EDIT: "Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard. [...] he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture." Shame on you, Microsoft.

Literally the next sentence: > Once the deal closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming. So no, they aren't keeping him around. Good call.

That doesn't say that Kotick will be gone, it says that he'll be reporting up to Microsoft.

Re: Microsoft to Acquire Activision Blizzard

#30
post #2

The most important question I have is: will they replace Bobby Kotick? EDIT: "Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard. [...] he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture." Shame on you, Microsoft.

Maybe they can't get rid of Mr. Kotick yet..
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