Blizzard Co-Founder: Bobby Kotick’s Public Image Isn’t Fair
By Rothtana Ouch
Activision boss Bobby Kotick might be the least popular figure in the video games industry to date. But recently Blizzard founder Mike Morhaime defended Kotick’s reputation within the industry having told MCV, “I have an advantage there because I know Bobby personally and we have very long, in-depth conversations.” So, they’re more than just co-workers?
In 2008, Vivendi Games merged with Activision forming Activision Blizzard. The company is known for their two largest IPs in Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has been a figure of interest concerning a series of lawsuits revolving around the firing of senior Infinity Ward officers Vince Zampella and Jason West.
“So my view of him is not limited to small sound bites taken out of context,” he added. “I can tell you that Bobby has been very supportive of Blizzard and that we have a great relationship with him. I don’t think the public image that some people have of him is fair or accurate.”
Morhaime contends that Kotick isn’t the animal he’s been made out to be in the video game media industry. Whatever relationship Kotick had with Inifnity Ward, it differs from the one with Blizzrd. Under Activsion and Kotick, Blizzard remains creatively independent.
“We wouldn’t have supported the merger had we not believed Bobby and Activision understood how special Blizzard is and weren’t supportive of our values,” said Morhaime. “We were convinced that they did, that the two businesses were complementary and that we wouldn’t be giving up our creative autonomy in any way. And that’s exactly how it has panned out.”
Humor aside, Activision Blizzard continues to churn out Call of Duty sequels with an eye on yearly releases, rampant rumors have created speculation that a new Call of Duty is due later this year. Diablo III is also rumored to wow PC gamers later this year as well.
