Kotick Calls Riccitiello "Worst Video Game CEO"

Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has launched a scathing attack on his ex-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 hinted Riccitiello's leadership contributed to his own departure, Kotick acknowledged EA's superior business model but declared he'd have gladly paid to keep Riccitiello from the role. Kotick clarified his statement wasn't influenced by Gordon's presence, adding, "Our fear was always that Bing was going to run EA. And we would have paid for Riccitiello to stay a CEO forever. We thought he was the worst CEO in video games."

Riccitiello's departure from EA in 2013 followed a period of poor financial performance and significant layoffs, concluding a CEO tenure that began in 2007. His time at EA included controversial proposals, such as suggesting Battlefield players pay to reload their weapons. He later served as CEO of Unity Technologies from late 2014 to 2023, a tenure also marked by controversy, including a public apology to developers for his disparaging remarks about those who resisted 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. "EA tried to buy us a bunch of times. We had merger conversations a bunch of times," Kotick stated. "We actually thought their business, in a lot of ways, was better than ours. More stable."

While Kotick's leadership at Activision Blizzard yielded significant financial success, it was also marred by controversy. Numerous employee complaints regarding sexism, a toxic work culture, and allegations of mishandling serious misconduct allegations surfaced. Activision Blizzard maintains that independent reviews found these allegations 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 shared his critical view of Universal's 2016 Warcraft adaptation, calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen."