Kotaku: Bobby Kotick

Activision Boss Bobby Kotick Has a Coca-Cola Board of Directors Position and a Smile

Mike Fahey — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:15:00 EST

President and CEO of Activision Bobby Kotick joins the board of directors of The Coca-Cola Company today, applying his business talents to the makers of the most popular carbonated beverage in the world. Can flavor-based DLC be far behind? [Coca-Cola - Thanks, Tal!] More »

If Anyone Makes Money Off The Old Republic, It'll Be Lucas, Says Activision Boss

Owen Good — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:00:00 EST

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Having done a lot of business with Lucasarts—Jedi Outcast, Jedi Academy, Star Wars: STFU—Activision boss Bobby Kotick knows who comes out ahead in that relationship. It ain't the publisher, he said, when asked his thoughts on Star Wars: The Old Republic. More »

In Moneyball, Activision's Bobby Kotick Plays a Familiar Role

Owen Good — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:00:00 EDT

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To call Bobby Kotick's appearance in Moneyball a cameo is a bit of a misnomer. The Activision boss has two significant scenes in the sports flick and plenty of lines as Stephen Schott, the former co-owner of the Oakland Athletics. It's not to say Kotick plays much of a character, but he doesn't have to. He simply has to be what he is in real life. More »

Hooray! Now We Know Why Bobby Kotick is in that Brad Pitt Movie

Owen Good — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EDT

Bobby Kotick's cameo in Moneyball, even after it was confirmed by Activision, remained quite the WTF mystery of June. Why was he appearing as the Oakland A's owner in a sports flick? Did he know Brad Pitt? Did he know the director? Was this some hint at a Call of Duty movie? More »

Activision Boss Says DJ Hero Helped Kill Guitar Hero

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 01:30:00 EDT

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I like video games. I like turntables. I like DJ Shadow, I like the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, the Scratch Perverts. Yet I've thought DJ Hero was a stupid idea from the moment the series was first announced. More »

Who Would You Battle in the Ultimate Game Industry Boss Fight?

Mike Fahey — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 11:40:00 EDT

In today's battle-hardened edition of Speak Up on Kotaku, commenter Dracosummoner asks you to square off against a corporate executive, developer, designer, or member of the gaming press in your ultimate game industry boss fight. Cue battle music! More »

Bobby Kotick Didn't Buy Myspace & Friendster is Now a Social Gaming Site

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:20:00 EDT

Activision boss Bobby Kotick didn't buy Myspace. Someone else will for a measly $35 million (considerably less than the $580 million IGN owner News Corp. paid in 2005). Furthermore, also-dying social network Friendster is now a social gaming hub. More »

Yes! That Really is the Head of Activision Acting Opposite Brad Pitt In A Movie

Brian Crecente — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:20:00 EDT

We were all surprised to discover early this morning a smiling Robert Kotick, Activision Blizzard president, apparently landing his first acting gig opposite Brad Pitt in upcoming sports drama Moneyball. More »

What the Fuck is Bobby Kotick Doing in This Brad Pitt Movie?

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 01:45:00 EDT

This is a trailer for an upcoming Brad Pitt movie called Moneyball. It's about baseball. And at 0:58, you can see that the owner of the Oakland A's baseball team is being played by none other than Activision boss Bobby Kotick. More »

Activision's Bobby Kotick Wants to Buy...MySpace

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 21:39:00 EDT

According to "three people familiar with the matter", Reuters is reporting that a group of investors including none other than Activision boss Bobby "What, Me Worry?" Kotick is in talks to buy dying social networking site MySpace. More »

Activision Boss Refused Sneak Peek of Competitor's Battlefield 3

Joel Johnson — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:22:00 EDT

According to CVG, Activision CEO wandered by the E3 booth of Battlefield 3, the regicidal threat to his company's own Call of Duty franchise, for a friendly look at the competition. He was denied. However, Activision says this didn't happen. More »

Modern Warfare Makers Complain Of Secret Call of Duty Games And More Broken Promises

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:01:00 EDT

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"Don't worry about it. It's impossible for you guys to get fired," Activision boss Bobby Kotick told Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella in 2008, according to a new cross-complaint filed today in a Los Angeles court. More »

Why All The Call Of Duty Hate?

Mike Fahey — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:20:00 EST

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Today in Speak-Up on Kotaku, commenter WhoKnew? wants to know where all of the Call of Duty hate is coming from. Is it just because it's beautiful? More »

Activision Threatens 600 UK Jobs Over Loss of Tax Breaks

Owen Good — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 19:00:00 EST

Activision's so incensed over the United Kingdom's rollback of promised tax breaks for video games development that the publisher is considering the withdrawal of its 600-employee office from the country, according to The Telegraph. More »

Call of Duty Players Log More Than 600 Million Hours In 45 Days

Owen Good — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 01:00:00 EST

Lending weight to CEO Bobby Kotick's claim that Call of Duty is as much a social networking phenomenon as it is a video gaming one, Activision released numbers boasting of online time that, per user, surpasses the Facebook average. More »

Call Of Duty's Publishers Couldn't Give A Hoot About iPhones Or Facebook

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:30:00 EST

While Activision remains committed to complete and utter domination of home consoles and the personal computer, it seems the mega-publisher couldn't care less about emerging platforms like Facebook or the iPhone. More »

What Good Can Come Of The Meeting of Metallica & Call of Duty: Black Ops?

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:00:52 EDT

About a million dollars worth, actually. Activision and Metallica are teaming for a good cause and a selfish one, with the band headlining the publisher's Call of Duty: Black Ops launch party and finding unemployed military vets jobs. More »

Activision's Boss Is One Of The Most Influential Men Alive, It Seems

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 01:30:00 EDT

That's according to AskMen, at any rate, who have picked the Activision boss at number 16 on their list of the 49 most influential men. More »

Activision, EA Argue Over Who's Less Evil

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 22:00:00 EDT

Robert "Bobby" Kotick, Activision CEO and widely reviled video game exec, had unkind things to say about one of his company's biggest rivals, Electronic Arts, blasting his competitor's "culture," its games, and claiming "great people don't really want to work there." More »

An Open Letter From A Former Bungie VP to Bobby Kotick

Brian Crecente — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EDT

While perhaps not seen in the full context of his talk at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch conference, Activision head Bobby Kotick's comments about Bungie did create quite a stir last week. More »

Is Bungie Really "The Last Remaining High Quality Independent Developer"?

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:30:00 EDT

Corporate "he said, she said" can be a little boring at times, but Activision boss Bobby Kotick calling Halo creators Bungie "the last remaining high quality independent developer" is too good to pass up. More »

Activision Boss Loses Legal Battle Over Sexual Harassment Case

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 01:30:00 EDT

Activision boss Bobby Kotick has lost a legal stoush with renowned lawyer Patricia Glaser over a 2007 sexual harassment case involving Kotick's private jet and one of its former flight attendants. More »

StarCraft II Has A $100 Million Price Tag

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EDT

It's taken more than a decade and over $100 million USD to get here, but StarCraft II will be hitting store shelves on July 27. And while that hefty development price tag may seem like a lot, well, it's not. More »

Activision Responds To Accusations That Its CEO Is A Total Prick

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:40:00 EDT

Brutal Legend and Grim Fandango creator Tim Schafer labeled Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick a "dick," "total prick" and, most damning, a ball bearing enthusiast. Fair enough. Just don't accuse Mr. Kotick of not liking video games, Activision says. More »

Tim Schafer Calls Activision Boss "A Total Prick"

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:00:00 EDT

Tim Schafer, the creator of classics like Grim Fandango, Full Throttle and Psychonauts, has some choice words to say about Activision boss Robert Kotick. Two of those words are "total" and "prick". More »

Xbox Live Is Microsoft's New Billion Dollar Business (And Activision Wants A Piece)

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:40:00 EDT

Microsoft's Xbox Live service has pulled in an estimated $1.2 billion for the Xbox 360 maker, with annual Gold subscription fees and sales of digital content combined, according to Bloomberg. Good news for... Bobby Kotick? More »

A Delightful Chat With the Most Hated Man in Video Games

Brian Crecente — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EDT

For Bobby Kotick, it all started with a handshake in a parking garage under an Atlantic City casino. The story of Kotick is the story of video game juggernaut Activision, a tale of chance meetings and unbelievable circumstance, of Apple founder Steve Jobs and millionaire recluse Howard Hughes. More »

Activision Boss Explains Firing Of Modern Warfare Creators, What's Next For Infinity Ward

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 06 May 2010 19:40:00 EDT

The canning of Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella was not a decision that Activision took lightly, says big boss Bobby Kotick, saying that the pair's conduct was a disappointing "compromise of our friendship." More »

So Long, Koticku, And Thanks For All The Valuable Market Research Consumer Data

Robert A. Kotick — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 19:00:00 EDT

Readers, I'm sorry to report that Activision Blizzard's investment in Kotaku is not paying the dividends that we'd originally hoped and that Koticku will be ending its brief run, effectively immediately. All remaining Koticku staff has been let go. More »

Announcing Koticku

Robert A. Kotick — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EDT

Today, I'm excited to announce that Activision Blizzard is making a strategic investment into a new and exciting space, video game enthusiast press blogging, with the acquisition of Kotaku, formerly a Gawker Media property, now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision Publishing. More »

Video Games' Team Coco Moment

Stephen Totilo — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:00:19 EST

Billions of dollars? Got it. "Astonishing arrogance and unbridled greed"? Alleged. Video games are so close to being Hollywood, that we must celebrate a breakthrough: A possibly boring contract dispute that could be as juicy as Leno vs. Conan. More »

Activision "Disappointed" By Infinity Ward Founders' "Meritless" Lawsuit

Stephen Totilo — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:00:10 EST

The world's biggest video game publisher doesn't take allegations of "Orwellian" investigations and unfair dismissals in silence. Activision has responded to the lawsuit filed by Jason West and Vince Zampella, the ousted former heads of Modern Warfare 2-maker Infinity Ward. More »

Ex-Infinity Ward Heads Claim "Orwellian" Moves By Activision

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:40:47 EST

The lawsuit filed against Activision by two ex-Infinity Ward leads alleges that the publisher of its Modern Warfare games carried out an "Orwellian," "pre-ordained" investigation designed to "manufacture a basis to fire" them in order to avoid paying them bonuses. More »

Activision's New Plans For Call of Duty Include New Developer, New Genres

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:40:00 EST

Publisher Activision announced today new "strategic plans" for the Call of Duty franchise, announcing a new developer for the shooter franchise and confirming the departure of key Infinity Ward staffers. More »

Activision Chief Regrets Not Making Guitar Hero With Harmonix

Stephen Totilo — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:20:24 EST

In 2006, Activision bought Red Octane, publisher of Guitar Hero, resulting in series developer Harmonix launching the rival game Rock Band and starting one of the uglier public feuds in gaming. Today, Activision's CEO said shunning Harmonix was a mistake. More »

Bobby Kotick, Warm and Fuzzy, Defends Notorious No-Fun Statements

Stephen Totilo — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:00:41 EST

Bobby Kotick, head of Activision, thought he was Luke, not Vader. And he didn't mean that thing about wanting to make game-making no fun. More »

Activision Boasts $1.56 Billion, Better Than Expected Q4

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:40:00 EST

Despite doing business in "difficult times," super publisher Activision Blizzard had a better than expected holiday quarter, with $1.56 billion in revenue during the company's Q4, bringing the yearly haul to $4.28 billion. How did Activision do so well? More »

Even Activision's CEO Knows Spider-Man Games Suck

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:30:00 EST

We give Activision boss Bobby Kotick a ton of stick around here, mostly because he often says some pretty silly things. His latest comments on the Spider-Man series, however, ring as true as truth can ring. More »

Blizzard Worth $7 Million In 1995, $7 Billion In 2007

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:30:00 EST

What a difference a decade makes. Speaking with Game Informer magazine, Activision boss Bobby Kotick has spoken of the massive disparity between how much Blizzard was worth in 1995 compared to the price Kotick paid in 2007. More »

Activision Won't Give Up On DJ Hero Just Yet

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:30:00 EST

Last October, Activision's turntable game DJ Hero tanked. Fret not those who shelled out for game and its peripheral, Activision won't be ditching the series just yet. More »