Bobby Kotick, former CEO of Activision Blizzard, recently slammed his former EA counterpart, John Riccitiello, labeling him "the worst CEO in video games" during a podcast appearance on Grit. This statement, made alongside former EA chief creative officer Bing Gordon, who hinted Riccitiello's leadership contributed to his own departure, is surprising given Kotick's admission that EA's business model was, in many respects, superior to Activision's. Kotick even stated that he would have paid to keep Riccitiello in the CEO role indefinitely. He clarified that this wasn't a personal attack against Gordon, but rather stemmed from a fear that Gordon might eventually lead EA.
Riccitiello's departure from EA in 2013 followed a period of financial struggles and significant layoffs. His tenure, which began in 2007, was marked by controversial decisions, including a proposal to shareholders suggesting Battlefield players pay for ammunition reloads. He later served as CEO of Unity Technologies, leaving in 2023 amidst controversy over installation fees. His time at Unity also saw him apologize for referring to developers resistant to microtransactions as "the biggest f*cking idiots."
Interestingly, Kotick, whose leadership at Activision Blizzard culminated in Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition in 2023, revealed that EA had made multiple attempts to acquire Activision Blizzard. He acknowledged EA's stronger business model and stability compared to Activision's.
While Kotick's tenure at Activision Blizzard ended with significant financial success, it was also plagued by controversy. Numerous employee complaints regarding sexism, a toxic work environment, and allegations of mishandling serious misconduct allegations surfaced. Activision Blizzard maintains that independent reviews found these claims of systemic sexual harassment and improper board conduct to be unsubstantiated. A $54 million settlement was reached with the California Civil Rights Department in December 2023, with the department stating that no court or independent investigation had substantiated allegations of widespread sexual harassment or improper board handling of misconduct.
In the same interview, Kotick also criticized the 2016 Warcraft film adaptation, calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen."
