Yahoo News Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick Plans to Depart Company on Dec. 29
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is stepping down from his role on Dec. 29, as the company further integrates into Microsoft.
Microsoft closed its $68.7 billion acquisition of the video game publisher in October, after overcoming several regulatory hurdles. The acquisition creates a gaming powerhouse by bringing together Microsoft, which owns the Xbox game platform and Xbox Game Studios, and Activision, maker of the Call of Duty, Diablo, Warcraft and Tony Hawk franchises and owner of Candy Crush.
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In a note sent to employees Wednesday, Kotick, who has been head of the company for more than 30 years, expressed gratitude for his employees and also praised the skills of Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Kotick and the Activision team report to Spencer, as announced when the deal closed.
“Phil shares our values and recognizes our talents. He is passionate about our games and the people who make them. He has bold ambition,” he wrote.
“I cannot adequately express the pride I have in the people who continue to contribute to our success and all those who have helped throughout my 32 years leading this company,” he added.
Full memo:
Extraordinary People,
Over the years, my passion for video games has often been attributed to Pitfall!, River Raid, and Kaboom!. I love those Atari 2600 games, but the game that first captured my imagination was Mystery House, developed by Roberta and Ken Williams. I played it on a borrowed Apple II night after night while in college at the University of Michigan.
Mystery House was a text adventure with some primitive sprite-based graphics. (Fittingly, we now own Mystery House and the company that published it, Sierra On Line.) The world in which the game was played was largely left to the player’s imagination. I envisioned rich, vast worlds with all sorts of interactive, animated life that would enable players to fulfill their varied aspirations—all in a simulated universe that offered unlimited possibilities for challenge, connection, and fun.
Forty years later, as my last day leading this company inches closer, I marvel at how far the talented people at our company have come toward realizing the great potential of games. You have transformed a hobbyist form of entertainment into the world’s most engaging medium. It has been the privilege of my lifetime to work alongside you as we broadened the appeal of games.
Perhaps the most important part of my job has been to help bring talented people together, provide the best resources possible, and foster an environment that encourages inspiration, creativity, and unwavering commitment to excellence.
I cannot adequately express the pride I have in the people who continue to contribute to our success and all those who have helped throughout my 32 years leading this company.
We are now part of the world’s most admired company. That isn’t an accident.
Phil Spencer has appreciated the magic of ABK for decades. When he approached Brian and me two years ago and proposed acquiring the company, it was immediately obvious that the combination of our businesses would enable us to continue to lead as the list of capable, well-resourced competitors grows.
Phil shares our values and recognizes our talents. He is passionate about our games and the people who make them. He has bold ambition.
As we move into our next exciting chapter, you could not be in better hands.
I will always be profoundly grateful to the people who contributed tirelessly to building this company and I am confident you will keep inspiring joy and uniting people through the power of play.
With gratitude and appreciation,
Bobby Kotick
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