In a candid discussion on the podcast Grit, former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick didn't hold back his opinions on ex-EA CEO John Riccitiello, labeling him as "the worst CEO in video games." Joined by former EA chief creative officer Bing Gordon, who suggested that Riccitiello's leadership contributed to his exit, Kotick acknowledged that EA's business model was in many ways superior to Activision's. However, he humorously remarked that they "would have paid for Riccitiello to stay a CEO forever," highlighting their view of his detrimental impact on EA.
Riccitiello, who led EA from 2007 until his departure in 2013 amid poor financial performance and significant layoffs, once proposed to shareholders the idea of charging Battlefield players a dollar for each gun reload. After leaving EA, he took the helm at Unity Technologies in 2014, only to step down in 2023 following a major backlash over proposed install fees. His time at Unity was also marked by controversial statements, such as calling developers who didn't embrace microtransactions "the biggest f*cking idiots."
Kotick, who oversaw Activision Blizzard's acquisition by Microsoft in 2023 for a staggering $68.7 billion, revealed that EA had made multiple attempts to acquire Activision. He praised EA's business as more stable than Activision's, despite the competitive nature of their merger discussions.
While Kotick's leadership at Activision Blizzard was financially successful, it was not without its controversies. Employees raised concerns about sexism and a toxic work environment, culminating in walkouts over allegations that Kotick failed to inform the board about serious misconduct, including rape. Activision Blizzard maintained that independent reviews found no substantiation for these claims. In July 2021, California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging a retaliatory "frat boy" culture. The lawsuit was settled in December 2023 for $54 million, with the California Civil Rights Department concluding that no systemic sexual harassment or improper handling of misconduct by the board, including Kotick, was substantiated.
During the same interview, Kotick also critiqued Universal's 2016 adaptation of Activision Blizzard's Warcraft, describing it as "one of the worst movies I've ever seen."
