Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is reportedly expected to leave the company once Microsoft’s acquisition of the publisher is complete.
The Xbox owner said today that it intends topurchase Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion deal– the game industry’sbiggest ever by some distance.
It was also confirmed on Tuesday thatKotick will continue to serve as the CEO of Activision Blizzardthroughout the acquisition process, which is expected to close during Microsoft’s fiscal year ending on June 12, 2025.
Following the deal’s completion, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. However, today’s announcement didn’t specify whether Kotick will stay at the company once the deal is complete.
But according toWall Street Journalsources said to be familiar with the plans, Kotick is expected to leave once the deal closes.
A proxy statement filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission last year confirms that Kotick is the sole Activision Blizzard executive to hold change-of-control protection that would reward him financially in the event that he’s replaced following a takeover.
Should he be terminated following Microsoft’s acquisition,Kotick could be in line to receive hundreds of millions of dollars.
Related
AWall Street Journalreport last November claimedKotick was aware of various sexual misconduct allegationsand had evenpersonally blocked the termination of former Treyarch boss Buntingafter the Call of Duty veteran was accused of sexual harassment in 2017.
Almost 20% of Activision Blizzard’s approximately 10,000 employees havesigned a petition calling for Kotick to resign– something hereportedly told senior managers he would be willing to doif he couldn’t “quickly fix” the culture problems at the company.
In a statement released today, Kotick said: “For more than 30 years our incredibly talented teams have created some of the most successful games.
“The combination of Activision Blizzard’s world-class talent and extraordinary franchises with Microsoft’s technology, distribution, access to talent, ambitious vision and shared commitment to gaming and inclusion will help ensure our continued success in an increasingly competitive industry.”
