Bobby Kotick, long-time CEO of Activision Blizzard, I will retire at the end of this year Continue His company’s historic acquisition by Microsoft— But I didn’t know he would officially leave on his last day weekdays It’s the end of 2023, two days before the end of the year to be exact. This bit was one of his letters he posted today.
Kotick, who has been embroiled in controversy for much of his 32 years at the helm of ActiBlizz, wrote: farewell letter He reported to his employees on Wednesday, December 20th, and officially announced that his last day at work will be December 29th (his last day at work in 2023, he is no longer a weekend warrior). The letter, titled “Bobby Kotick: With Thank You,” is addressed to “some special people” and begins with Kotick’s history as a “G” gamer in the nation’s capital.
Over the years, my passion for video games often stemmed from things like: Pitfall!, river raid, and Kadon!. I love Atari 2600 games, but here are the games that first captured my imagination. mystery house, developed by Roberta and Ken Williams. While attending the University of Michigan, I played this game every night on a borrowed Apple II.
mystery house It was a text adventure with primitive sprite-based graphics. (Appropriately, we currently 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 a rich, vast world with all kinds of interactive and animated life. All of these worlds allow players to fulfill their various aspirations within a simulated universe that offers endless possibilities for challenge, connection, and fun.
He went on to praise the hard work of those very same Activision Blizzard employees. accused him Contributing to creating a workplace environment that includes sexual harassment and discriminationaccusations he loudly and vehemently denied. Back in 2021, Kotick considered quitting. If you weren’t able to “fix” the company culture, but ultimately decided to stay and continue cashing in your paychecks.It’s unclear whether the company culture has been revised, but the comments came in the same week. He admitted to writing a tone-deaf email to the entire company. That led to a strike by all the staff.
Later, Kotick’s letter called Microsoft/Xbox “the world’s most admired company” and talked about major acquisitions ( FTC tried to block) was not an “accident.” Next, he turns his attention to Xbox CEO Phil Spencer. In Phil Spencer’s absence he will lead Activision Blizzard King.
Phil Spencer has admired the magic of ABK for decades.when he approached brian [Bulatao, Chief Administrative Officer] When my team and I proposed an acquisition two years ago, it was immediately clear that our combined businesses would allow us to continue leading the way against a growing list of talented and well-resourced competitors. was.
Phil shares our values ​​and recognizes our talents. He is passionate about our game and the people who make it. He has bold ambitions.
We couldn’t be happier as we move on to our next exciting chapter.
It’s unclear how Microsoft will handle ActiBlizz’s recent mandate for remote QA testers to return to the office. This attitude is called “soft layoff.”
Regarding Kotick’s departure, I would like to quote the words of my late grandfather, Pasquale Cestero. “I don’t have to go home, but I have to go.”