Bobby Kotick at Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is officially resigning from the company following the completion of Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of the game developer and publisher. Kotick's last day will be December 29, when Microsoft studio head Matt Booty will take charge of Activision Blizzard's executive leadership team. Kotick led Activision Blizzard for 32 years.
Microsoft's Activision Blizzard leadership team remains largely the same, although several executives are also leaving soon, such as Chief Communications Officer Lulu Cheng Meservey, who plans to leave in January. Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced the changes in an internal memo: later obtained by The Verge. The change in leadership extends across departments, but Spencer said the majority of employees won't see it any differently.
“For most of you, your day-to-day work will remain the same – it's still business as usual to bring more breakthrough experiences to more players around the world,” he wrote. “At the leadership level, these changes will provide the clarity and accountability needed to achieve our ambitious goals and foster a culture that is welcoming, empowering and committed to Gaming for Everyone.”
In October, Microsoft has shuffled several executives; then Booty was promoted to president of game content and studios and Sarah Bond was named president of Xbox, where she oversees the console and platform operations.
Kotick joined Activision in 1991 and has led the company to many key moments, including the Activision and Vivendi Games merged in 2008 who created today's Activision Blizzard. Later, in 2016, Activision acquired Blizzard King, the mobile gaming company. But behind these successes, Activision Blizzard employees questioned Kotick's leadership in 2021 when employees called for his firing following the company's response to the California Civil Rights department's investigation into sexual harassment and discrimination at the company.
This made Kotick's future with the company important to both the public and employees. However, that lawsuit was settled earlier this month for $55 million, the majority of which will go to women in the company. With this settlement, CRD has withdrawn its allegations of systemic sexual harassment.
Activision Blizzard and Microsoft will pay Kotick a “golden parachute” of at least $15 million, according to financial documentsa number that likely ignores Kotick's sizable stakes in the company.