Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick unleashed a scathing critique of his former EA counterpart, John Riccitiello, labeling him "the worst CEO in video games" during a recent appearance on the Grit podcast. Speaking alongside former EA chief creative officer Bing Gordon, who suggested Riccitiello's leadership contributed to his departure, Kotick acknowledged EA's superior business model but insisted he'd gladly pay to keep Riccitiello away from the helm. Kotick clarified his statement wasn't influenced by Gordon's presence, emphasizing their shared fear of Gordon potentially leading EA. "We would have paid for Riccitiello to stay CEO forever. We thought he was the worst CEO in video games," Kotick stated.
Riccitiello's departure from EA in 2013 followed a period of poor financial performance and significant layoffs, after serving as CEO since 2007. His tenure was marked by controversial decisions, including a proposal to shareholders suggesting Battlefield players pay to reload their weapons. He later served as CEO of Unity Technologies, leaving in 2023 amidst controversy surrounding installation fees. His time at Unity also included an apology to developers for his disparaging remarks about those who opposed microtransactions.
Interestingly, Kotick, who led Activision Blizzard until its $68.7 billion acquisition by Microsoft in 2023, revealed EA's multiple attempts to acquire Activision Blizzard. He acknowledged EA's stronger business model, describing it as "more stable" than Activision's.
Kotick's own tenure at Activision Blizzard, while financially successful, was also plagued by controversy. Numerous employee complaints regarding sexism, a toxic work culture, and allegations of mishandling serious misconduct accusations surfaced. Activision Blizzard maintains that independent reviews found these allegations of sexual harassment and management's response 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 any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that: there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard," or that Activision Blizzard's board of directors including Kotick "acted improperly with regard to the handling of any instances of workplace misconduct."
In the same interview, Kotick also offered a less-than-flattering assessment of Universal's 2016 Warcraft adaptation, calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen."
