Activision Blizzard CEO Slams Ex-EA Chief as 'Worst in Gaming'

Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick recently slammed his EA counterpart, John Riccitiello, labeling him "the worst CEO in video games" during a podcast appearance on Grit. While acknowledging EA's superior business stability compared to Activision's, Kotick stated he'd have gladly paid to keep Riccitiello from ever holding a CEO position again. This wasn't a personal attack, Kotick clarified, stating their primary concern was preventing Bing Gordon, EA's former chief creative officer, from taking the helm.

Riccitiello's departure from EA in 2013 followed a period of financial struggles and layoffs. His tenure was marked by controversial decisions, including a proposal to charge players for reloading in Battlefield and his infamous remark about developers resistant to microtransactions. He later served as CEO of Unity Technologies, leaving in 2023 amidst controversy surrounding installation fees.

Interestingly, Kotick revealed EA's multiple attempts to acquire Activision Blizzard, acknowledging EA's stronger business model.

Kotick's own leadership at Activision Blizzard, while financially successful, was also plagued by controversy, including allegations of sexism, a toxic work environment, and mishandling of serious misconduct allegations. While Activision Blizzard maintains that independent reviews found these claims unsubstantiated, a $54 million settlement was reached with the California Civil Rights Department in December 2023. The settlement concluded that no court or independent investigation substantiated allegations of systemic sexual harassment or improper board handling of workplace misconduct.

The interview also saw Kotick sharing his negative opinion of Universal's 2016 Warcraft film adaptation, calling it one of the worst he'd ever seen.