Microsoft officially announcedAcquired Activision Blizzard for $687 billionAfterwards, we will provideSend a letterIn the statement, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick confirmed that he will continue to serve until the end of 2023 to assist in the transfer of related businesses to Microsoft, and will report to Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft's Xbox business.
Prior to this, the market generally speculated that Bobby Kotick would leave after Microsoft completed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but Activision Blizzard had never previously disclosed Bobby Kotick's future whereabouts. It was not until Microsoft announced the official completion of the acquisition of Activision Blizzard earlier that it confirmed that he would continue to stay until the end of this year.
In addition to Bobby Kotick leaving Activision Blizzard, another wave of personnel changes is expected as the Activision Blizzard system will be integrated into Microsoft, and Microsoft is expected to announce the details of the relevant adjustments in the next few months.
Bobby Kotick not only received a high salary during his tenure as Activision Blizzard's CEO, but also made a profit of $3.753 million in the process of selling the company to Microsoft. He will even receive $1460 million in compensation after leaving Activision Blizzard due to this acquisition.
In 1991, Bobby Kotick and his partner Brian Kelly acquired approximately 25% of Activision, which was then renamed Mediagenic. They later changed the company name back to Activision and completed its merger with Vivendi Games in 2008. At the same time, the company name was changed to Activision Blizzard, becoming the gaming company that owns "Call of Duty," "Guitar Hero," and assets including "World of Warcraft," "StarCraft," and "Diablo."
However, Bobby Kotick's tenure as CEO of Activision Blizzard was plagued by controversy, including an overemphasis on monetization over the overall gaming experience. Furthermore, Kotick's leadership was plagued by issues such as discrimination and sexual harassment, with Kotick himself facing accusations of sexual harassment. When Microsoft announced its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it pledged to address past issues and promote a more robust work culture.
