Bobby Kotick Slams John Riccitiello as 'Worst Video Game CEO'

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 relief at his departure.

Riccitiello, who led EA from 2007 until his departure in 2013 amid financial struggles and layoffs, had 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, but his tenure ended 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 historic $68.7 billion acquisition by Microsoft in 2023, revealed that EA had made multiple attempts to acquire the Call of Duty publisher. He admitted that he viewed EA's business as more stable and in some ways better than Activision's, despite the merger talks that never materialized.

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 had not informed 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 (now the Civil Rights Department) filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, alleging a retaliatory "frat boy" culture. The lawsuit was settled in December 2023 for $54 million, with the Civil Rights Department concluding that no systemic or widespread sexual harassment was substantiated, nor was there improper handling by the board, including Kotick.

During the same interview, Kotick also critiqued Universal's 2016 adaptation of Activision Blizzard's Warcraft, bluntly calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen."